Tag Archives: Christian marriage

The Temptation to Defend Yourself to Friends and Children

defend yourself (2)“For You have been a defense for the helpless, a defense for the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; For the breath of the ruthless is like a rain storm against a wall.”  Isaiah 25:3

There are days when it feels as though the battle is never-ending, when assaults on your reputation and your credibility are coming at you from every side.  So know this:  No matter what your enemies and detractors say, you have a Defender who knows and sees all.  You can be strengthened by the knowledge that you are never alone as you walk this often lonely journey.

Even clinging to that truth, though, there will be times when you will thirst for a word of compassion and validation from someone with skin on.

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It’s All On You:  Part I and II

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“The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.”  Proverbs 11:3

Part I

Whenever there is something in your relationship with your abuser that needs to be fixed, undone, redone, created, accommodated, facilitated, or apologized for, just know that it’s on you to do it.

From early on, the abuser establishes a precedent that what he wants or needs is always, always the highest priority in the relationship.  It doesn’t take long for you, his target-victim, to figure out that stepping out of line in any area will incur his overt disapproval, punishment or wrath.  Once he succeeds in implanting a healthy measure of fear in you, the man will incrementally connect trip-wires to every aspect of your life.  You will surely feel the unbreakable tether of obligation, an excessive desire to please and an increasing weight of anxiety to do everything exactly right.  You will find yourself treading lightly and striving for perfection while an ungodly form of bondage takes root and begins to consume every aspect of your life.

From there, the abuser simply works to ratchet down your life further, increasingly limiting your freedom while adding to your level of responsibility, putting all of the pressure on you to keep the relationship alive, if you can call it that.  If things fall apart,  the responsibility for its demise will lie with you.  You will have failed.

It’s not just a tall order; it’s an impossible one.  By accepting his terms and conditions, you can expect your life to be built on ever-shifting sands of panic-borne hypersensitivity.  Grow accustomed to sleepless nights consistent with a burgeoning undercurrent of stress that will find you battling physical and emotional exhaustion.  That’s okay with him.  That is merely evidence of his power over you.

For a time – years maybe – you will work to convince yourself that you can manage it.  You will quickly adapt to his unspoken mantra – that it is on you to forfeit your needs to ensure that his are met.  Be careful not only of what you say but how you say it.  A poor turn of phrase  will cost you.  Your calendar is subject to his.   Even though you make plans with the understanding that he will take care of the kids, when he is suddenly invited to go golfing or decides he has something better to do, you must know that your plans are disposable.  His demanding, controlling, callous and demeaning ways must be accommodated at any and every expense – and by that I mean yours.

Your wants and needs don’t matter.  Remember that.

To survive, you must live a hyper-sensitive, even paranoid existence to avoid stumbling into any one of a thousand trip-wires he has connected to your life, affecting your friendships and familial relationships, your job, your finances, your social life and household responsibilities.  It is up to you to make sure he gets the privacy, quiet and attention he needs.  And when it comes to your love life, just make sure you are ready, willing and able when he is in the mood.  Make sure he is not expected to do anything he doesn’t want to  and that no dust rests where he doesn’t want to see it.

Don’t get sick because he doesn’t want to take care of you.  He may well resent you for slacking off and may even compel you to quit your sniffling, get out of bed and do all of the things he expects of you anyway.

Don’t miss one of his phone calls, and don’t arrive home later than expected or there will be hell to pay.  Know that he probably won’t like your friends or your family members.  He will not hide his disapproval, demand that you shun them, and will exude a toxic air should they come around to make sure they know they are unwelcome in your home and your life.

On the other hand, you are expected to put on a good show when people he wants to impress are around – his boss, his co-workers, his golf buddies, or church folks. Don’t do anything to make him look bad.  Don’t even think about telling him or anyone else that you are unhappy, because that will reflect badly on him, and he won’t have it.  You must never complain about anything in your life or infer that he isn’t doing enough, and never ask him for a favor. Whatever stress you bear in your life is yours alone to deal with – and is deserved, as far as he is concerned.  In fact, he probably wishes you were suffering more than you are.

It is on you to make sure that he is not unhappy or even inconvenienced.  It is on you to ensure that there is no drama.  It is on you to say only what he wants to hear and nothing he doesn’t.  Make sure you don’t disagree with him and God forbid that you should ever think about standing up for yourself.  Should you fail in any of these areas, when he explodes, it will be because you foolishly or unintentionally tripped one of those tiny little wires.

Then you can expect to hear him spewing, “If it wasn’t for you,” “This is all your fault,” or “You made me do it!”

So, I ask you:  Is it that you alone hold the power to keep him sane, or is it that he simply wields a totality of dictatorial power to make you feel that way?

The reality is that he has created an impossible scenario that keeps him at the center, compels you to conform to his will at every turn, holds you captive to constant fear, deprives you of your individuality and freedom, and then holds you responsible for his terrorizing.

Now that you know what he’s up to, cut the trip-wires – all of them – and get away from him.

In case you haven’t figured it out, that’s not love.  It’s abuse.

Part II

“He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.”  Proverbs 17:15

When you get to the point where you cannot take it anymore and leave him, he will be all too happy to tell anyone who will listen that you abandoned him, you didn’t hold to your commitment, you let him down.  And people will surround him and console him and tell him that it wasn’t his fault.  Some people you thought you could count on will avoid you, or give you that sideways glance of disapproval, or may even come to you and tell you that he loves you, he wants you back and believes with his whole heart that your marriage can be saved.  And if you try to explain to those people how unbelievably cruel your relationship has been, they will look at you quizzically and urge you to forgive him and assure you that he wants to work things out.  Should you express any doubt about the legitimacy of his mindset, some will probably view you as unforgiving or downright selfish.

You may begin to wonder if you’re crazy and if you really haven’t done enough.  Don’t believe it for a second.  If you know in your heart that nothing has changed then, well, nothing has changed.  But, it will all be on you, and some people will not support you or decide not to be friends with you anymore and will speak ill of you behind your back.

With all of that put upon you, it will pretty amazing that you will somehow find the strength to survive the insanity of it all.  You will find the determination to get out in spite of the gossip and the pressure and your fears about the future because you know what is true and have decided that you are not going to live that way anymore.

And when the day finally comes that you find yourself free of the abuse, when you are breathing the free air and relishing the simple joy of contentment in your life, that’s all on you.

“For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord sustains the righteous.” Proverbs 37:17

Cindy Burrell

Copyright 2015, All Rights Reserved

 

“War Room” Is Unsuitable for Victims of Abuse

[Spoiler Alert]

I stopped by the Christian bookstore the other day to look for some new reading material when I overheard a patron at the counter ask the store cashiers if they had seen the movie “War Room.”  They both happily responded in the affirmative.  Another gentleman browsing nearby immediately interjected that he liked it as well, jokingly commenting, “Submission is when a woman puts her head down so that God can hit her husband.”  And everyone within earshot laughed along with him.

Except me.  Because that trite little comment does not begin to resemble the truth.

My heart began pounding, and I so wanted to speak up and explain why “War Room” is potentially harmful to abuse victims.  But on they chattered, and rather than saying anything, I quickly bolted for the door.  I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

“Just what abuse victims need,” I screamed internally as I marched back to my car, “a Christian movie that imposes upon them one more burden of obligation to remain with their abuser.”

I had seen the movie and was very disappointed in it.  The film’s basic premise is that prayer grounded in truth is a powerful force for positive change.  Agreed.  Unfortunately, however, that premise is only a half-truth, for the other side of that truth is that God has given men free will.  All of the prayer in the world may not change the wicked – some who even call themselves believers – and we have a right and responsibility to protect the innocent and allow evildoers to reap what they have sown.

When Doug and I decided to go see the movie, I understood its emphasis to be on the power of prayer.  I personally delight in spending time with God in prayer, have seen Him work mightily through it, and at times having been privileged to hear His unmistakable, inaudible voice.  In that vein, I was hoping to be propelled to a higher plane of understanding and inspiration.  Although the film endeavored to make the case, as an abuse survivor, the primary plot of the film killed it for me.

The focus of the conflict in the film is a borderline abusive, potentially adulterous husband (Tony) whose Realtor wife (Elizabeth) is wrapped up in her own life, neglects her daughter and has no idea what to do to make their lives better until she “coincidentally” meets a godly, elderly woman named Clara who has hired Elizabeth to sell her home.  Elizabeth’s new client takes Elizabeth under her wing, mentors her spiritually, and encourages Elizabeth to make prayer a priority with the goal of reclaiming her home and her marriage.

Elizabeth takes the task seriously, emptying her closet of her clothes and worldly possessions to create a War Room where she can spend her private time immersed in Scripture without distraction and commence battle with an unseen enemy through prayer.  Elizabeth soon sees how she has neglected her young daughter and makes amends and necessary change.  Then a girlfriend sends Elizabeth a text message about seeing Elizabeth’s husband in an inappropriate situation with another woman.  So Elizabeth begins to pray.  Suddenly, a mysterious illness overtakes her out-of-town, adultery-minded husband, thwarting his obvious intentions.

When Tony returns home, Elizabeth doesn’t confront him or even seem shaken, when most of us would be overwhelmed with feelings of betrayal, brokenness and humiliation.  Even knowing that her husband may have been unfaithful in the past 24 hours, Elizabeth seemingly rises above it, acting like nothing has happened, as though she doesn’t know what she knows.

When Tony pointedly asks Elizabeth what she wants from him, obviously referencing their relationship, she thinks for a moment and then calmly tells him that what she really wants is a hot fudge sundae, going into ridiculous detail about mounds of vanilla ice cream coated in chocolate, smothered in whipped cream and topped by a cherry.  In spite of the audacity of it all, the audience joined in collective laughter.  Then Elizabeth adds that she would also love a foot massage, even as a look of sheer bewilderment crosses Tony’s face.

I was horrified.  So that’s how a believing woman in that situation is supposed to respond?  Don’t let him see you weeping from the pit of your soul when faced with heart-wrenching betrayal.  Just internalize all your pain.  Pretend everything is just fine.  Really?  Apparently, those who wrote the screenplay are wholly unacquainted with the immeasurable grief of infidelity.

Anyway, Tony is dumbfounded by Elizabeth’s strange response.  Yet Elizabeth keeps silent and maintains her commitment to pray.  What a woman!  Then, as some measure of perfectly timed divine justice, Tony is fired after it is discovered that he has been stealing pharmaceuticals from his employer.

Suddenly jobless and ashamed, Tony discovers Elizabeth’s prayer room, is suddenly awakened to the devotion of his wife, realizes how much he loves her and his daughter and tearfully repents.  Tony arrives home one day soon after and presents Elizabeth with a ginormous hot fudge sundae which brings her to tears.  Then she relishes her sundae on the sofa while her husband gives her a foot massage.  In spite of the rough days they face as a result of Tony’s job loss, their marriage is miraculously restored.

Right about then, as if he knew that I was beginning to feel sick, my husband leaned over to me and whispered, “We know it doesn’t always work out that way.”  I received his words and nodded in agreement but desperately wanted to cry, not just because of the years of torment my children and I had endured as a result of my acceptance of this same unbalanced belief system.  No, my heart was filled with a whole new measure of grief for all of the Christian women who had seen or would see the movie and find themselves bound to its debilitating half-truth.

When the movie was over, I quickly stood to leave, my heart heavy and hurting, while it seemed that those who remained until the very last credit had bought in. Like so many times before, when I have been in the presence of legalists and guilt-mongers, I felt alone and wounded and frustrated for others like me, those seemingly without a voice or a defender in the body of Christ.

I am certain that the writers and producers who worked on this film were convinced that their product would encourage people in struggling marriages to pursue prayer as powerful recourse and must assume they did not for one minute consider the film’s potentially damning outcome for victims of abuse.  I wonder if they would even acknowledge this tragic oversight, or would they, as the film insinuates, assert that a praying wife will without fail bring about heartfelt repentance and change in her abuser?  Such an assertion is grievously common but in clear defiance of the whole truth of the word of God.

Truly, as I left the theater that day, I wish I could have found the words and the courage to stand up and speak the truth in the presence of the entire audience.  But it seemed the majority was comfortable soaking up heavy doses of Saccharine-laden spirituality, and speaking up in that moment would not likely have helped my cause.

For all of the film’s good intentions, I so wish the writers had chosen some other powerful prayer opportunities to make their case.  As it is, I know from my own experience and spiritual vulnerability that abuse victims who don’t know better will watch that film and feel pressured to remain with their abusive spouses, to keep their secrets and pray harder and pretend, believing that, if they do it right, their abusers are destined to change.  And all the while their abusers smirk and take comfort in the reality that the church will almost always impose an ongoing expectation on their poor wives to accommodate the habitual sin, set aside their buckets of tears and wait for God to fix it.

Too many church people forget that this kind of spiritual denial and ignorance empowers the wicked among us.  The victims and their children suffer in the shadow of a silent church while it closes its eyes and ears to the injustice, condoning the abuse and the destruction of families from within.

When, I wonder, will a Christian film producer release a film that shines a light on the terrifying reality of abuse in “Christian” homes?  I’ve actually written a full-length screenplay based on the premise.  Do you think that maybe one of these days my phone will ring?   I would be pleasantly surprised, but in today’s “spiritually correct” culture I won’t be holding my breath.

Should you decide to see “War Room,” go armed with a full understanding of the movie’s glaring shortcomings and my husband’s timely words of wisdom:  “We know it doesn’t always work out that way.”

Cindy Burrell

Copyright 2015, All Rights Reserved

What Your Emotions Are Telling You

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In her book, “The Emotionally Destructive Marriage,” author Leslie Vernick writes, “It’s crucial that you not lose your empathy and compassion even in a destructive marriage… 

One of the things that kills empathy and compassion for someone we once felt love is the buildup of negative emotions, especially resentment.”[i] 

I must assert from the get-go my strong disagreement with Mrs. Vernick’s basic operating premise that our “positive” emotions are to be embraced while our “negative” emotions should essentially be squelched.

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Reject the Counsel of the Doubters, for the Wicked Still Live Among Us

 “Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes.  For it flatters him in his own eyes concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it.  The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good. He plans wickedness upon his bed; He sets himself on a path that is not good; He does not despise evil.”  Psalm 36:1-4

Young Woman With Face In Hands.

During a conversation with a young woman outside a local church, she began to timidly open up about how terrified she was to go home.  Try as she might, she simply could not hold herself together.  She began to tremble, the tears began to flow, and her voice broke as she shared that she was praying for clarity with regard to her relationship with her admittedly abusive husband.  I listened intently and then said as gently as I could, “I think those tears are providing you with all the clarity you need.”  And as the truth slowly began to sink in, she wiped her eyes and nodded in solemn agreement.

I have no idea how long she had been carrying that heavy burden, but I found it tragically ironic when I discovered that she was employed at that church.  I had to wonder how many people in her circle had been aware of her torment and whether those same people told her all the things she “just” needed to do to minister to her wayward husband and save their marriage.

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