Battered And Bruised But Not Broken

In her educational textbook style memoir, "Battered, Beaten, Bruised, But Not Broken," Bev candidly shared her detail experiences with Child Sexual Assault (CSA), Family Violence, Intimate Partner Violence, Aggravated Stalking, and the effects of abuse: Suicide and PTSD emotional trauma. Bev's story is very profound, and she addressed the moral and spiritual difficulties that challenge our Christian journey daily. Also, Bev explored the triumph of the human condition relative to God and presented the tenderness of His response.Bev also shared that even as a Christian, she had chosen relationships that were not healthy, and she had to say, "I do not" many times after saying, "I do." Bev says it is perfectly okay to correct the mistakes of our life once we recognize them. The problem exists when we see the writing on the wall, we know the relationship is unhealthy, we know our toxic situation is getting worst, yet we stay. There is nothing uncommon about individuals impacted by violence choosing to stay in bad relationships hoping against all hope that the person will change, or that they can fix the other person while trying to figure out, "What is wrong with me?" Impacted individuals will choose to stay in their abusive relationship for many reasons, including staying for the children, because of family values, cultural values, to save face, or they remain to wait for the connection to get better, discovering ten, fifteen, twenty years later, nothing is better. Sometimes they find they have lost their identity, lost their purpose, and sometimes, lost their will to live. Bev says, "Individuals impacted by any form of violence and mental trauma can recover and live a healthy and happy life, they just have to say no to abuse and yes to living." Some people, including young adults, stay out of fear, or because they do not want to be viewed as a failure.Therefore, it was essential to Bev to chronicle her journey, mental clarity, and overall sense of well-being through each phase of her experience in such a transparent and honest way that readers can travel her journey, feel her emotions and champion her resiliency. Also, Bev used this opportunity to educate on sexual assault, abuse, bullying, and stalking and the emotional toll on individuals impacted, and how our experiences do not have to define us. Although we will never forget, we can recover from abuse and can get through the experience and live a beautiful life. Trust God, have faith, believe, and be willing to say no to violence and yes to a life of peace.