A Bruised But Blessed PK's ThoughtsApril Lorier (3,541)     April Lorier    April Lorier, Author Hurrah For The Turtle In You!Posted Friday, June 27, 2008 (11 days 12 hours ago.) Viewed 345 times. I'm grateful that the imperfections of all of the people in The Word of God have not been whitewashed , for what hope would I have? They serve as great hope builders as I see how they repeatedly acted in ungodly ways, and yet God's grace was extended to all of them. And being an abuse over comer, I am even more grateful for the hope of living shame-free!
The Apostle Peter had failed Jesus. The very thing he promised he'd never do, he did. The night Jesus was arrested and tried, Peter denied that he knew him. (Matthew 26:31-75) He had come such a long way, had grown so strong spiritually, had matured and changed so much since he met Christ, but when it came time to be a person of courage, he failed. The Scriptures record that Peter left that scene in Pilate's courtyard and wept bitterly. Shame is like that. It pushes you back into a corner and decides for you that you'll never win. That's when you have to push back . In John 21:15-19, Jesus confronted Peter's shame by forcing him to come to terms with his true intentions. Again and again, Jesus asked him, "Do you love me?" Again and again Peter said that he did. Jesus relentlessly pressed him so hard that it actually hurt Peter's heart. But as he pressed and Peter responded, the brittle, self-protective shame that encased his heart fell apart. Peter was finally free. 2008 April Lorier | Related Posts APRIL LORIER - So. California. An award-winning poet, inspirational author and speaker. A survivor of both child abuse and adult domestic abuse, April inspires women to be all that God designed them to be! She first gained recognition as a children's rights crusader while successfully fighting for the passage of the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA), which was signed into law by Ronald Reagan. 
Permalink Comments (4) Even If Earthquakes ComePosted Tuesday, June 24, 2008 (14 days 15 hours ago.) Viewed 64 times. I live in California where our three main concerns are fire, landslides and earthquakes. My daughter and I were talking about "the big" one and she reminded me that God is STILL in control. (Sometimes God speaks to us through our children, and I am forever grateful I am not too proud to hear that whisper!) Tonight I am meditating on Psalm 46 and I have this desire to write a poem to the One who is still in control, no matter what happens. God, You are my refuge and strength, APRIL LORIER - So. California. An award-winning poet, inspirational author and speaker. She first gained recognition as a children's rights crusader while successfully fighting for the passage of the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA), which was signed into law by Ronald Reagan..... Read her Whispers from God's Spirit and be encouraged in the Lord.
Permalink Comments (8) Looking Through The Rear View MirrorPosted Tuesday, June 24, 2008 (14 days 16 hours ago.) Viewed 5 times. 
I asked the question before, "Do you know who you are? (I mean today ?) I ask because so many are looking through the rear view mirror as they travel through life. All that will get you is an accident! Yes, you'll be an accident waiting to happen if your eyes are not focused on the present! What happened yesterday, good or bad, is gone. You have memories of it and even scars from it, but it's not reality anymore.You can't change it, so why give it any energy or any power over your life? That's counter productive! And it keeps you in that old battle, fighting the same war over and over. Jesus taught people about expending their energy wisely. He asked the question, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?" (Luke 12:25) The point that you need to understand is that the war is over. It's part of your history and it's part of your tragedy. Take a deep breath. You're spending pointless energy, heading for an accident! One of life scriptures is found in Isaiah 43:18-19 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. The past has impacted you. The abuse caused enormous damage, with which you live. The injustice is outrageous and the scars are unfair. Turning your energies toward what you do have control over, rather than using them to try to re-create your history, is a very real application to this teaching of Christ. Today, use your energy - and your eyes! - to live your life; fully engaged in the journey that you are on now . And stop long enough to look up for your strength! ( c)2008 April Lorier | Related Posts APRIL LORIER - So. California. An award-winning poet, inspirational author and speaker. A survivor of both child abuse and adult domestic abuse, April inspires women to be all that God designed them to be! She first gained recognition as a children's rights crusader while successfully fighting for the passage of the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA), which was signed into law by Ronald Reagan. Also visit Whispers from God's Spirit and be inspired!
Permalink Comments (0) Do You Know Who YOU Are?Posted Friday, June 20, 2008 (18 days 12 hours ago.) Viewed 762 times. My friend just returned from her high school reunion and she had to tell me all about it. She was so impressed with the need for people to live in the past. She said they wore name tags with not just their names, but also descriptive phrases. Some were class president, conservative, valedictorian, anarchist, Prom Queen or King, most likely to succeed... well, you get the point. Most all of the people she no longer recognized were altered by either surgery, botox, or hair pieces. It was a very confusing and disappointing experience for her, especially when she started hearing about personal tragedies, multiple divorces, lost children, failed businesses, and abuse. But the main point is that all were identifying themselves by who they were 40 years ago!
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Abuse recovery is marked by hard work, tiny, intimate victories, and frequent failure. You set out with good intentions and make bold declarations that you're living in a new way, a free way. And yet, you can do the very thing you promised yourself you'd never do again. When this happens, it's easy to throw in the towel and revert back to self-sabotaging behavior and thinking. 
In abuse recovery, it is all too easy to define yourself by what you were - by what happened to you (especially if, like me, you have authored a book on child abuse. What a shame if that inner definition is the only one by which you know yourself! Abuse is your experience, not who you are!
