It is very common for survivors of chronic childhood abuse to say, “I am fine” when in fact they do not even know what “fine” feels like.

“Being heard is so close to being loved that, for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable.” —David Augsburger

It’s impossible to shame ourselves into safety. Only Love knows the way home. #StronglikeWater

“It’s when we lend compassion to places & experiences of great pain, as we are able, that the most beauty rises.” Aundi Kolber, Therapist+Author #StrongLikeWater

How would you move if you knew you were Beloved? How would you think? How would you speak to yourself? How would you speak to others? How would you experience God? May you come to reimagine how it’s possible for you to exist in the world. #Beloved #StronglikeWater

Take what you need.🫶🏻 #MothersDay

Wes Rector 🦅 Aundi Kolber, Therapist+Author One of the best books.

Why is gentleness + compassion vital in healing trauma? Because a traumatized body is already holding the weight of the world—more shame + harm won’t create healing. Only Love knows the way home. #CompassionateResourcing #StronglikeWater

Jesus uses His power to protect, to expose, and to restore dignity. He calls His people to be in the world using our power under His authority, displaying his character by speaking truth, shedding light, and tending and protecting the vulnerable.

Trauma happens in our bodies-- so the healing of trauma must always include our bodies, too. #StronglikeWater

The thing about healing is that it's less like flipping a switch and more like untangling a knot. Let it take the time it takes.* We are Beloved the whole way through. #StronglikeWater

God grant that we should be more afraid of sin than of its exposure. Sin hidden or buried within a God-ordained structure (such as a marriage or church) is hardly success.

Here are two words that should never go together: spiritual and abuse. It is a diabolical pairing. The Spirit of God hates abuse, uncovers abuse, and cares for the abused. But we often see spirituality being misused to damage a person created in the image of God.

If you have not watched “Shiny Happy People” on Amazon, do. If you are in the evangelical circles, please, you really should. Most importantly, we need to consider the breadth of IBLP’s influence and teachings, and ask how this affects what we see happening today...

Way to go Aundi Kolber, Therapist+Author! You are #StrongLikeWater, my friend! So grateful that so many more can now dive into the good, deep work of flourishing.

Abuse survivors aren’t only healing from abuse they endured, but from the ways they were treated when they asked for help.

Survivors often lose their place in the church for speaking the truth about their abuse. They lose any status they had. They lose honor and trust. All because of the things that were done TO them. Rather than accuse and disparage them, we must see them and embrace their courage.

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Suffering people often need others to have faith and hope for them. Admonitions to hope or trust only often result in despair; if the sufferers were able, they would do so.  It is often helpful to say, “I know you struggle to hope right now. I will hope for you.”

The body of Christ is called to be a sacred place for the vulnerable. We have often chosen to be a safe place for the powerful and have deceived ourselves into believing that God would call that good.