A Deadly Epidemic

Domestic abuse is a deadly epidemic.  Not a week goes by that the news is not filled with a story about a woman {and occasionally even a man} that was murdered by her spouse.  Often the news fills with stories of police having been called to the residence multiple times in the past over various issues.

Domestic Violence ribbon      According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.  I am one of those four.  I survived not one, but two abusive relationships.  Fortunately, I was one of the lucky ones because I was able to safely get away.

Domestic violence is often the silent man’s disease.  The woman is too ashamed to report the indiscretion to police, or even tell her family and friends.  There is a stigma that goes along with domestic violence, that “she brought it on herself”, “we tried to warn her what he was like” or “even I don’t know why she stays.”

In Christian circles, this stigma is intensified because “marriage is meant to last forever”, “you’re supposed to submit to your spouse”, and a “man shall leave his parents and cleave to his wife.”  I do not dispute any of these facts, because I agree that God ordained for marriage to be sacred.  However, in Proverbs 21:9, we are told it is “Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.”  {NIV}

Better to sit on a rooftop than with a quarrelsome wife

Better to sit on a rooftop than with a quarrelsome wife

There is a difference between being abused and mistreated and submitting to a man that loves and honors God, his wife and children.

Over the next six months we will explore in great detail the ins and outs of domestic violence.  As a survivor of this epidemic, my goal is to educate, validate and empower women to see their self-worth through God’s eyes and not that of man.

Tweetables:

Domestic Violence: The Silent Epidemic

Learning about the silent killer: domestic violence

When domestic violence hits home 

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