Domestic Violence part 2

Well everyone.....it's here! Part 2 of my thoughts on domestic violence.

In my last post I gave a couple different examples of domestic violence. I hope that maybe it brought to light something you've never thought of before. Maybe it stirred up a desire in you to help stop all of the abuse that goes on. Or maybe, if you're one of the people that has been abused, you've decided that you're going to get out of the mess you're in.

The first line of hope that I'd like to extend to you if you are the one in an abusive relationship, is to let you know that you are loved. I can guarantee that you that you have many people in your life that love you very, very much! Maybe it's your kids or maybe a brother or sister. Maybe it's your parents, or even a co-worker or neighbor. Whoever it is, someone loves you, and if they know or find out about your situation, they want to help you out. So, my question is, how can they help you if they don't know or you won't let them??

Someone else who loves you is Jesus. I know you've probably heard it before and sometimes it's so simple that it's hard to accept, but Jesus loves you. He really does care about Y-O-U.
1 Peter 5:7 says, "Casting ALL your care upon him; for he careth for you."

You, my dear person, are a wonderful creature that was hand-fashioned by God, and you were not meant to live a life of misery and abuse. You owe it to yourself to get out of the abuse you may be living in and to start fulfilling the plan of God:) I encourage you to please reach out and let someone know what you're going through! Maybe you're afraid if you tell a friend or family member that it will get back to your abuser. I urge you call the hotline for domestic abuse.
There are two different hotlines that you can call: 1-800-799-7233(SAFE) or 1-800-787-3224

For those of you who aren't in an abusive relationship but maybe you're wanting to help someone who is. The worst thing you can do is tell their abuser. Do NOT go to the abuser! The victim will be the recipient of a lot more abuse if you do. In my last post I stated that many people fear death because they have been threatened with it. This is a reality, not just a half-hearted threat. These people may suffer death for telling you about their situation. If you are one of the people that is honored enough to have an abuse victim talk to you, please, do not regard what they tell you as a joke or an imagination. This person is taking a huge step in telling you what's going on! Don't tell them that you wouldn't be there, or if they had done something different they wouldn't be there. This is not their fault.

Since I've not been a witness to a lot of situations in which abuse was an issue, I really don't know a lot of the things you can do to help, except for get them out of the situation if at all possible. Be their friend. Encourage them. PROTECT THEM! Most cities have a shelter so if you would like to do something to help a mistreated person you could volunteer at a shelter and maybe your local soup kitchen. Both places will be VERY thankful for your help, I'm sure of it!:)

Below I've posted the link to the national domestic violence hotline. It's a good way to see if maybe you're the one being abused, or if maybe someone you know is being abused. It's a VERY informative and good website:)
http://www.thehotline.org/

I hope that these two posts have some how made you aware of a little piece of the world around you. There are sooo many more things! There are a LOT of different instances of abuse that are not domestic violence, but still abuse. One of which being trafficking, but that's a topic for another time.