| Author | Message | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 4196 Registered: 3-2004  |
Hi folks, My name is Diana and I am a child of the King and recovering former Seventh day Adventist. Let me tell you something of myself. I was born and raised in an SDA family that was very dysfunctional. The dysfunctional family and religion mixed together were a very toxic mixture. Why toxic?? I was taught as a child to NEVER tell any one what went on in my family. I was to only tell those things to God. Then from my religion I was taught that if I did not keep the sabbath I would be doomed to hell/the lake of fire. I was also told that an angel wrote down all the bad things I did. I had no assurance of salvation. I am doing this because I want anyone reading here to know that this is a place of recovery. We can say things that are not very complimentary about our family of origin-the SDA church and about our SDA family, because they have hurt us. Those hurts, when kept to ones self, will continue to hurt us until we let go of them and let God have them. We know that here every one understands to some degree, even if what they went through is not exactly what I went through. What I have learned in my 12 step group I can see happening here. I will not list all the steps and their Biblical counter parts as that takes up lots of room. Here is what I see happening. The first is we were powerless over what happened to us until now. That is we were raised one way and did not know the difference. Then God came into our lives and we discovered He could restore us. With that we decided to turn our live and wills over to him. The next is where some do not like what we do, but we admit to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Those are things that we did as SDA and the wrongs done to us. We cannot keep these to ourselves. If we do, they can drive us crazy. Plus when they are out in the open we see exactly what is going on and we can admit what is ours and what belongs to some one else. And though we do not work the steps of the 12 step program as I do, we do work some of them in our recovery from adventism. I like the following verses in my program: Rom 7:18 "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out." Phil 2:13 "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Rom 12:1 "Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship." This one is used in reference to turning our will and our lives over to God, which we do when we learn of what Jesus did for us. This verse I especially love. James 5:16 "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." We do that here in asking for prayer for ourselves and our families. These are the things I see being done here that go along with my 12 step program and I like that. So I decided to share that with each of you. We are a support group here for exiting adventists and for those who want to know more about adventism. Another verse I like is "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall." I Cor 10:12. Then these is Col 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly". I know this support group is not a 12 step program. I just wanted to show you the similarities because this group has helped me so much. May God richly bless you and help you in all ways. He is so awesome. Diana | ||
| Stevendi Registered user Username: Stevendi Post Number: 227 Registered: 10-2006 |
Thanks Diana. Someday I hope to compile my exodus from adventism on paper. I have over 3 years of journaling. It's just that every time I sit down to make an outline, I just cannot make myself go back through it. I try to focus on the positives God's guidance and protection, but I still feel like I've just jumped out of the shower, put on cologne, then make a dash for the nearest cowyard I can find to roll in the stench and the waste. After all this time, I am still disgusted with adventism and how it affected me and my family. I thank God it's mostly over. Now if I could see my parents led out of it... steve | ||
| Sara Registered user Username: Sara Post Number: 45 Registered: 5-2007 |
Great post Diana, Thank you for being so open. It is a relief to be honest with others, and to be honest with God. Your story is encouraging. Quote; "This verse I especially love. James 5:16 "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." We do that here in asking for prayer for ourselves and our families." The purpose of confessing sins is "SO THAT..you may be healed". So, we need confess to God and others we trust,... then the healing comes. God is faithful to His word. We need to say it, own it, put it out there. The healing is real. It's so freeing to be able to confess faults, and have people pray, instead of judge. I have experienced that at church, and it is amazing. I have had freedom from "hidden sin", when I was able to confess to others and have them pray to break a stronghold. I am so grateful. Sara | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 4201 Registered: 3-2004 |
Stevendi, I am going to encourage you to write the story from your journal. I wrote my story of my eating disorder, which included my SDA beginnings. In the writing I was freed from so much. To present it to my CR group it had to be trimmed. I was so nervous that I asked prayers from all of you here and my CR friends. When I gave my testimony on Friday evening, I was so free afterwards. Many people after told me that similar things happened in their families. I am going to make a suggestion. I do not know where you live and it sounds like you need help. Look for a Celebrate Recovery group in your area. Google Celebrate Recovery and on the main website you will find where it is in the USA. Or if you want to communicate with me privately, ask Colleen for my email address and I will help you one on one. Take care my brother. God put us here to help each other. He is so awesome. Diana | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 6653 Registered: 12-2003  |
Diana, thank you for sharing your story. Steve, if you can slowly put your story together, I believe that you will be overwhelmed as you remember and, in a way, re-live God's interventions and leadings in your life. Yes, you will experience the memory and much of the pain of the past as well, but what God has done will be so in focus. The people I know who have written their stories sometimes do go through a phase of reaction or a desire to put the story away, but as they work to finish it, they say that the experience was an amazing one that cemented their gratitude and the deep impact of God's calling them in spite of the resistance and pain. I suspect that you will be overwhelmed and deepened in your intimacy with the Lord Jesus when you finally write. I also believe that God is in charge of the timing. When it's time for you to write, you will know it! Colleen |
