Another day to link up with Helen at:
And to be challenged to "find the fab" in my life!
Today, the challenge is to share...
Fear Overcome;
When I was Brave
I have shared in my post about FEAR the one time I was really in fear for my life. (Read that post on the word "Fear" here).
And I have decided to write Fab-ruary 10th - Fear Overcome - along with the 12th - I was Brave.
It was just over 16 years ago that I was attacked...
Little did I know when I opened the door to the church office that I would be shoved back inside with a gun pointed at me.
I won't go into the entire story, since I shared it not too long ago (see link above). But, suffice it to say, I was viciously beaten and kicked and - as far as he knew - left for dead.
FEAR?
No doubt this was the most fearful thing that has ever happened to me.
After he beat, kicked and hit me in the head with the gun, I just lay still while my attacker searched through my purse and turned his shirt inside-out because of the blood stains that had been left.
As I continued to lay on the floor, with my hands bound behind me, I prayed nobody would wander into the area while the attacker was still there.
Prayer, and God's calming touch, kept me still long enough for my attacker to finish his task and leave. And, thank God, nobody else stopped by.
So, when I heard my name called out a while later, my first reaction was for that person to make sure the bike (that the attacker had arrived on) was no longer outside the door.
Brave?
I know I screamed...
I know I tried to get away...
I know I attempted to appease him by telling him where he might find some money...
But, I did what I could to keep myself, and anybody else, from being killed.
I feel I was brave in how I handled myself and kept my head enough to be concerned about others coming into the building. That was my first priority...
Keeping others from being attacked as well.
To this day, I can still remember what happened...
And, I thank God He was there with me throughout the whole incident.
I cannot imagine the trauma of what you have been through, Barbara; and I admire your courage both at the time and now ...
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't easy to get back to work in that place; in any place. And it tookme a while to even want to go out at night alone, even though it happened in the middle of the afternoon. It certainly isn't something I would wish on my worst enemy...
DeleteYet, I did survive...I AM a survivor; and life goes on. 16 years later, I am still surviving...it isn't the same as someone who has to live everyday with a disease or illness. But, at the same time, the mental part of it does take time to heal long after the physical hurts have passed.
Thank you for reading and commenting, Alexa...I don't always feel courageous; but after that...I guess I really am!
Oh Barbara, I cry every time I think of you like this, beaten and hurt.....I'm so very sorry you had to live that experience but am so thankful you kept your head and that the outcome was as positive as it was....
ReplyDeleteThank you, my friend...I am also thankful it wasn't any worse. And, there are so many others that could have been in that place at that time that were much older than I that would NOT have over-come such a beating. I am thankful it was I instead...the woman who was filling in until we could get a full-time minister was in her 80's; but had just left. The organist who found me was (I think) in her late 60's or 70's but was not in the same area. Although it was traumatic, I am thankful it happened to me instead of either of them or others.
DeleteAppreciate your empathy...don't cry tears for me! I am a survivor!! I am here today to tell you this and to testify to God's saving Grace! Blessings to you and your littles!
Barbara - I think this is such a testament to the strength we can receive from God. I pray that if I'm ever in any kind of awful situation that I can be as brave and rely on that strength and faith to get me through. You are an amazing survivor and I think sharing your story can help to build that loving strength in others. I know it definitely touched me! I think you were brave to even share it as I'm sure you re-live it when you have to think about it.
ReplyDeleteGod bless amazing Lady! xo
Thank you, Carrie! It's been a journey - 16 years is a long time and I do still think about it and remember each time I journal about it...but life goes on too and I have come to not let it bother me as much. He was there for my then, and as I share the story, he is with me now.
DeleteI appreciate your reading and commenting. Amazing? Thank you, Carrie; but I am just blessed and covered with his armor in such a situation.