Whack-a-Mole God

The negative impact of abuse is far reaching. That's obvious. Spiritually, trauma can often obstruct the comforting journey that so many other people seem to have with God, but that bypasses you. Of course, there are many reasons for this, but the primary ones have to do with shame, powerful secrets, and dark emotions.

Abuse recovery involves actively challenging thoughts that tear you down, rather than build you up. For many of us, the way we think about God is actually quite destructive. God is seen as distant and cruel. Harsh and punishing. Suspicious and volatile. Some of these views may come from the kind of faith tradition you grew up with, but that may not be the entire story. Others may come from abuse's contamination of your spiritual journey.

To challenge this "Whack-a-Mole" view of God requires balance and respect for your walk with God. Yes, there are behaviors and actions that are not condoned in the Bible (or many other kinds of sacred writings). Yes, there are standards for living that are vigorously taught and practiced by many faith traditions which bring about the labeling of "moral" or "immoral." There is nothing wrong with these teachings or practices unless they become unbalanced and confused with the nature of God - which is love.

Love must remain at the core of all moral standards, faith practices, and religious rituals. That is vital if you're going to move beyond abuse with a healthy soul. In the Hebrew Bible, there are reminders of God's love, such as the passage that reads, "The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made" (Psalm 145:9). In the New Testament Bible, the concept of God as love is emphatically taught in passages such as 1 John 4:16, which reads "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love."

God isn't lurking behind a bush or around the corner waiting to catch you doing something wrong. God isn't floating around the cosmos rubbing his hands together just hoping you blow it so that you can be jumped. God doesn't sit on the edge of a cloud with a giant mallet playing Whack-a-Mole with you. Those are inaccurate - and ultimately destructive - thoughts that will rob you of a full, enriching, and comforting journey with God.

Those dark, powerful secrets from your abuse can keep you in a perpetual spiritual state of fear and dread, leaving you with a sense that you're doing something you shouldn't be doing. That's where abuse spills over onto what is meant to be a liberating journey. It's slavery. It's dysfunctional thinking that has nothing to do with morality or standards of faith. It contradicts everything Christ came to do in our lives. After all, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1).

The Whack-a-Mole God doesn't exist. Challenge that thought every chance you get. Remind yourself - often - that the God who loves, accepts, embraces, and celebrates you - THAT's the God who DOES exist!


Seminar Discounts

For a VERY LIMITED TIME, we're offering deep discounts if your church or organization schedules one or more seminars for 2010. Committed to Freedom provides people with spiritual tools to help them move beyond abuse.

Each seminar will be offered for $750 and the sponsor will not be charged for the use of our one-time print permit to produce the required participant workbooks!

You must have these seminars scheduled no later than January 1, 2010. The required non-refundable deposit of $100 must be received by then as well. In addition to the seminar fees, sponsors are also required to cover the presenter's travel, lodging, and meals. At this time, I will be the presenter of the scheduled seminars in 2010. I hold a B.A. in Pastoral Ministries and an M.S. in Mental Health Counseling.

We offer three seminars (1) Responsible Care Training Seminar, (2) Beyond Abuse Seminar, and (3) Spirituality and Childhood Sexual Abuse Recovery. Take full advantage of this rare opportunity to offer our life-changing, empowering - and now - more affordable seminars to your community!