Consider Divine Love

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 Donna J. Farris

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Acknowledgments

Special thanks
to
House of
Compassion Ministries
and
the brave women who have come forward with their stories of
struggle, survival, and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
They are alive because of Divine Love.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part 1 - Who is this Jesus
Anyway?

Part 2 - Words of Love for
the Battered Heart

Part 3 - Behold What Manner of
Love

Decision Time

Introduction

When a woman has been
abused by a man she once loved, it is extremely difficult for her
to consider the possibility of trusting anyone again, even God. For
victims of domestic violence, concepts of intimacy, respect, honor,
and submission have, to one degree or another, been defined by the
perversions of her tormentor. You may be one of those women.

Maybe at one time you experienced, or perhaps
are still in, a relationship where power was abused and twisted for
self-centered domination. As a result, when Christians talk about
"surrendering your life to the love of Jesus Christ,"
you
may think they are crazy. You may wonder,
"Why in the world
would I give my heart again to any man? I did once and it nearly
cost me my life. Never again!"

Maybe, during times of extreme sadness,
loneliness or despair, you found yourself emotionally moved by the
biblical claims of God's love. You wanted to respond in some way,
but hesitated. Doubts invaded your mind and you began to question
the integrity of God's word. Your mental images may have been
different; your emotions, descriptions and examples uniquely
personal. But in essence, you found yourself asking some of the
same kinds of questions listed below. See if you recognize any of
these hindrances to receiving divine love.

Part 1 - Who is this Jesus
Anyway?

Who is this
mysterious man called "Jesus"?
- Anyone born so long ago, so
distant and impersonal makes me feel very uncomfortable. How can
someone like me relate to someone so foreign and "different?"How
can I know whether or not Jesus is telling the whole truth about
who he really is and what he wants? What if Jesus is hiding
information about his life, or has covered up some deep, dark
secret about his past? How could I know for sure? And besides,
Jesus has been dead for more than two thousand years. Why should I
care what a man dead for so long has to say about anything?

Many men claimed to love me.
What makes Jesus claims of love any different?
- My husband
said he loved me on our wedding day. But since then, nothing I do
seems to please him. I don't understand what I've done to make him
hate me so much, but he is probably right. There must be something
really wrong with me. When God finds out who I really am, and
eventually He will, I'm certain He will despise me just as much as
my husband does. Then I will truly be alone. And no one in the
entire universe will care whether I am alive today or am murdered
tomorrow.

Men are full of insecurities,
jealousy, pride, and anger. Isn't Jesus the same kind of
man?
- Does He have a short fuse like my abuser? Instead of
just calmly discussing an issue with me, would Jesus start
screaming and throwing lightning bolts down from heaven in a fit of
rage? Is God insecure about His identity, or does He have any kind
of emotional baggage? What if He is still angry with people for
crucifying His Son? Maybe God is just biding His time, waiting for
a chance to get even.

I've heard God is a jealous God. Are His
expressions of jealousy any different from my husband's jealous
tirades? And the Bible says Jesus got really violent with people a
couple of times. His heavenly father didn't condemn His behavior.
Maybe God would say my husband's violent outbursts were also
justified and that he had every right to break my nose if it would
teach me to obey his commands.

Does God agree with my
husband's use of power in our home?
- My husband used to
shout
, "I'm god in this home and don't you ever forget
it!"
He said the bible gave him authority to execute justice as
he saw fit. I had rights and worth as a human being only when he
said I did. But since he blamed me for practically every problem in
our marriage, I was always being punished for something. He said it
was his responsibility to teach me to submit to his leadership. He
said if I would just cooperate and stop being so rebellious, he
wouldn't have to hit me. If Jesus uses his "god-given authority"
like my husband did, I don't want anything to do with Him.

My husband used words as
manipulative pawns to get what he wanted and made promises he never
kept. Why should I believe God's words are any different? How do I
know He will keep His promises?
- Words are nothing more
than sounds coming out of people's mouths. Words are just random
noises pretending to represent truth, but having little to do with
reality. They are just tools used to intimidate and seduce others
for personal gain. How can anyone know for certain whether or not
God's words are any different, whether His words represent the
truth?

My husband had a very short memory when it came
to keeping his word.
"Trust me, honey! I'll change, I promise.
Things will be different this time."
I've heard those words a
thousand times. It makes me sick when I remember I actually used to
believe them. I took him back and yeah, things were different
alright. I ended end up in the emergency room with three broken
ribs and a black eye. Then somehow he managed to get the kids, the
house, the bank account, the car and kept his reputation spotless
in the process. Everyone felt sorry for him since he had to deal
with such a "crazy" wife. God makes a lot of promises in the Bible.
How can I be sure He'll remember them from day to day, much less,
keep any of them?