Abuse, Neglect, and the Loss of Hope- The Way Forward

Margarita's story is one of abuse, neglect, and a loss of hope. She spent many years struggling to process being kidnapped as a child and the abuse she experienced at the hands of her father.

She would go on to marry and have kids, but the marriage had struggles and it led to a subsequent divorce. She continued to have faith in Jesus, but attended a Mormon church for years. She found that after the divorce many of the friends she had at the church began to turn their back on her, leaving her feeling isolated and neglected, again.

After finding new love and marrying her second husband, Margarita began to attend the church her husband was going to. As she stepped into this new church family she began to see God move in new ways. She made new friends and started attending Northpointe's Celebrate Recovery. It was here that she would begin the hard and long journey of unpacking the past and revealing new truths about God and his plans for her.

After doing a 12-step program through Celebrate Recovery, Margarita found the peace she had been looking for. But, God wasn't done working on her and working out his plans for her. As she was talking with her daughter she discovered that the abuse she had experienced from her father, was also a devastating reality for her daughter. In this moment of shared pain from a shared abuser, she decided that enough was enough. Not only did the abuse need to end, but her father needed help and she set out, with God's help, to confront and forgive her father.

She met with her father and confronted the abuse, both her own and her daughter's. In those moments she held tight to God's truth and found that her father took responsibility for his actions and asked for forgiveness.

Months later God called on her again to talk with her father about the hope found in Jesus. As she stepped into this new challenge she discovered that God's plans are far more powerful and beautiful than our own.

What Satan meant for pain, shame, and embarrassment, God turned into something far more beautiful. He restored not only Margarita but her father too. Although there is still far more healing to come, her father has now passed and Margarita feels called to share her story of redemption and restitution and share it with others living through abuse.

There is still far more healing to come, and far more challenges to face, but this giant, this mountain, God has removed.

Want to know more about Celebrate Recovery? Head to northpointe.org/cr 
Want to know more about Jesus? Head to northpointe.org/jesus 
Want to talk with someone? You can email us at hello@northpointe.org