How Do You Wear Your Wings?
Some people wear their wings like a badge of pride. Others wear them quietly, never realizing the lives they touch. The truth is, we all leave something behind. Every conversation, every act of kindness, every moment of patience, every time we choose compassion over anger—it becomes part of the legacy we carry. Those are the […]
Give Yourself Permission
There comes a moment in every survivor’s journey when you realize something important. No one is coming to give you permission. Not your abuser.Not the people who didn’t believe you.Not the family members who told you to “just move on.”Not the court system.Not society. If you wait for someone else to tell you it’s okay […]
RADV Article: When Strong Is Your Only Option
There are people who admire strength. Then there are survivors who never asked for it. No child dreams of growing up stronger because they had to endure abuse. No spouse hopes to become stronger because they were betrayed, manipulated, or hurt by someone they loved. No survivor wakes up one morning and decides they want […]
RADV Article: The Heart a Survivor Carries
There is something remarkable about the heart of a survivor. It has been broken, disappointed, manipulated, and wounded in ways that many people will never fully understand. It has learned what fear feels like. It has carried the weight of silence, self-doubt, and loneliness. Yet somehow… it keeps beating with hope. That is the kind […]
RADV Article: Laws Need to Change to Protect Survivors
By Dave Beatty, Founder of Riders Against Domestic Violence (RADV) Every time another survivor tells me, “There was nothing anyone could do,” I ask myself the same question: Why? Domestic violence is one of the few crimes where people are often expected to gather overwhelming evidence before they are believed. Survivors are told to document […]
RADV Article: What If Tomorrow Never Comes?
There is a question that has stayed with me for years: What if tomorrow never comes? We all live as though there will always be another sunrise, another chance to make things right, another opportunity to tell someone we love them or to finally make the change we’ve been putting off. But life doesn’t come […]
RADV Article: Through the Lawyer’s Eyes
When survivors walk into a courtroom, they often see fear, uncertainty, and hope. They hope the truth will be enough. They hope the judge will understand. They hope justice will finally begin. But from a lawyer’s perspective, the courtroom is a very different place. Attorneys are trained to work within the law, not emotion. They […]
RADV Article: Even in the Cracks, a Flower Will Grow
“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” — Ecclesiastes 3:11 Have you ever stopped to look at a flower growing through the cracks of a sidewalk? Think about what it had to overcome. There wasn’t rich soil. There wasn’t anyone watering it. It was surrounded by concrete, stepped on, ignored, and exposed to the […]
RADV Article: Breaking the Trauma Bond
One of the hardest truths for survivors to understand is this: Missing someone who abused you does not mean you should go back to them. That feeling doesn’t mean the relationship was healthy. It often means you are experiencing a trauma bond. A trauma bond forms when periods of fear, manipulation, control, and abuse are […]
Sunday Morning Prayer
Heavenly Father, As we begin this Sunday, we come before You with grateful hearts. Thank You for giving us another day, another breath, and another opportunity to choose love over hate, peace over anger, and hope over despair. Today we lift up every survivor of abuse. Wrap them in Your protection and remind them that […]