Growing up in conservative evangelical spaces taught me to judge others, especially to assume motives and attribute intent. We could almost always tell what sort of sinful tendencies motivated other people: +

Here’s to the parents who pull your kid close when they’re crying and hold space for their feelings, even though you were told as a kid to go to your room and stop crying. You are doing the hard work of parenting while reparenting yourself.

What doesn’t kill you can: •dysregulate your nervous system •trap itself in your body •steal your sense of self •make you wish it did I don’t know what “makes you stronger” means but let’s stop glorifying trauma as a life-lesson we’ve been blessed with.

Sending love to those who are fighting unseen battles, walking perpetually uphill, and juggling heavy weights. May you have rest, relief, and support.

When someone begins to heal from living in survival mode, they have a desperate need for honesty & authenticity. They’ve had to fight for their ability to think clearly & know who they are. It’s been quite costly. They’re not willing to engage with those who won’t respect that.

You are not stupid for caring. You are not dumb for what you feel is meaningful or important. Your big heart is not bad or wrong. pinky promise.🖤

It was the way men treated me in the name of “complementarianism” that made me start doubting it. I truly believed all the books & sermons that told me how men who follow this doctrine will lovingly lead women, but what I experienced was the opposite. +

Trauma did NOT make you stronger. It traumatized you, almost killed you, broke your heart, dysregulated your nervous system, disconnected you from self and others, and stole your will to live. YOU make yourself stronger…by taking accountability for healing.

Trying to heal 20-years of trauma in 1 or 2 therapy sessions is like throwing a cup of water at a burning building.

Hey. Just fyi- the things you're struggling with that nobody else knows about, or nobody else cares about, or nobody else wants to hear about, or nobody else understands, etc- those things still matter, because you matter. They're a big deal, because *you're* a big deal.

Healing your childhood wounds so you don’t project them onto a current relational dynamic is a fierce act of self-care.

Had you stayed you would have always believed you deserved the way they treated you.

Holidays can be hard for survivors, as they can be a heavy reminder of past traumas and lost relationships. This week, may you remember to be kind to yourself and remember how you are inherently worthy of goodness, kindness, and safety 💜

Survivors often come through experiences of trauma w/ overwhelming compassion for animals, & determination to save as many of them as possible from maltreatment. (YOU are as deserving of that compassion & support as those animals you love & rescue, by the way.)

💜

Absolutely 💜

Please take some time this week to give this podcast a listen. Shari A Smith (She/Her)🇨🇦, Cait West and Clare Heath-McIvor host a discussion with TiaLevingsWriter about the #ShinyHappyPeople doc & how Bill Gothard’s influence has touched all of white evangelicalism open.spotify.com/show/3qTwCpqu8…