Don't Buy The Lie

Seems like since I was a little girl, I was being fed one lie after another.

It started with Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, but then more harmful dangerous lies came into play.

My brothers older friends, neighborhood boys/men, and even some of my friends from school did unspeakable acts I was sworn not to tell. “It will be our little secret,” they’d say. I wanted to tell my mom, but I was too ashamed and I was scared. I thought she’d probably blame me anyway. And many of my abusers had threatened me. What if their threats were true?

So I bought the lie. The lie that I had to stay in abusive relationships. The lie that no one would ever want me. The lie that no one would love me. The lie that I would have to settle for whoever came along.

All my life I bought the lie of abuse. 

My alcoholic husband dropped to his knees and wept over my battered body, “I’m sorry. I promise if you stay I’ll never hurt you again.”

Sadly, I bought the lie again and again until he almost killed me. And even after I left him, I still kept buying the lies of abuse.

My 2^nd husband, who went to church faithfully, swore a million times that he’d never look at pornography or cheat on me on me again. 

I bought the lie time and time again and stayed with him for seven painful years until I learned he sexually abused our three children. That's when I began seeking the truth, and the truth set me free!

Don’t buy the lie! Don’t settle for abuse! 

I know it's hard to break free. I didn’t even start getting my life together until the age of 26. I hadn’t even finished high school, let alone junior high. I had dropped out in the 7th grade. Yet, a single mother of three, I went back to school, got my GED, went onto college, maintained a 4.0, and made the Dean’s List. Later, after battling severe panic attacks and agoraphobia, I graduated from Vision International with a degree in Christian Ministry, became an Award-Winning Christian Author, Certified Pet Therapist/Dog Trainer, and started two non-profit organizations A Time To Heal and Abuse Bites to break the cycle of abuse and help others heal.

Abuse is a choice. You can be a victim or you can be a survivor. I was a victim far too long. Today I’m a survivor, because I stopped buying the lie. I pray that you do too! You deserve better. It's the truth that sets us free!

If you or someone you know is stuck in the cycle of abuse and needs help please call 9-1-1 or the national domestic abuse hotline @ 1-800-799-SAFE. You may also contact me. I’d love to help in any way I can.

We offer workshops to educate, prevent, and bring awareness on all types of abuse and bullying in the school, work place and community. We’d be honored to work with you to bring our program to your area! http://www.abusebites.com.

Freedom From Abuse

Freedom From Abuse

As a child I was neglected. Oh I had plenty of food, clothes, and toys. And I guess my parents loved me, but I didn't feel loved or valued. It was like no one listened to me or wanted to hear what I had to say. They didn't want to be bothered with me.

In my search for love and acceptance in my neighborhood, I found abuse. Boys and men used and abused me, and out of fear I let them.

Driven by fear, horrible insecurities set in. And on top of that I was numb. I had this huge aching hole in my heart.

I tried to fill it with everything throughout my teen years; boyfriends, drugs, alcohol, etc, but the hole just got bigger.

At school I was the odd girl out. I wasn't pretty enough and preppy enough to hang out with snotty rich girls. The geeks didn't want me either.

So I ran away. I ran from one thing to the next. Even one state to the next as I hitchhiked around the USA. I didn't find love and acceptance there either. Nope. I suffered even more abuse. And now I was starving, only had the clothes on my back, penniless, taken hostage, raped, and nearly killed.

For years I was trapped in a vicious cycle of abuse. For years I chose men who abused me. Then it began happening to my children.

That's when I drew the line. I tried to stop it before. I tried to get help. I tried to save my failing marriage that I was always told was my fault.

Yep, it was my fault he was addicted to pornography. It was my fault he cheated. And it was my fault he molested our three children.

NOT! It took awhile to get my head on straight, but, at 26 I finally stopped believing the lie. I finally found the TRUTH and the TRUTH is what set me free.

People can lie to us and tell us they'll change. We can lie to ourselves and try to believe the abuse will get better. Or we can face the truth, that we cannot change anyone, they have to want to get help. Sadly, most people who abuse want to get help, but they're afraid of being judged if they seek it. They're also believing the lie.

Anyone can get free. I know. I did.

As long as you have breath in your body it's not too late. It's your choice. Will you remain a prisoner inside your own home believing the lie, or will you let the TRUTH set you free?

"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

GET FREE TODAY WITH THIS FREE BOOK OFFER "Run For Your Life" about my true life story @ http://www.runtolife.org

Now booking speaking engagements for 2010 & 2011.

Contact Lisa @ lisafreelife@gmail.com Via Web Sites @ http://www.abusebites.com http://www.runtolife.org http://www.atime2heal.org