Domestic abuse is a new topic for me and one I never imagined would touch my life. When someone confided the nightmare they were living, I had no words to respond, no idea what I should say or do to help. All I could do was stay silent and pray to not make the situation worse. When I saw Overcoming by Charlene Quint in my social media feed, it was as if the Holy Spirit had answered my prayers for knowledge and wisdom to help my confider.
· If you are living with the abuse nightmare—you need to read this book. The book jacket is actually reversible for your protection!
· If you are a confidante—you need to read this book.
· If you are a minister, counselor, spiritual director, teacher, in law enforcement, studying to be a social worker—you need to read this book.
· If you are a librarian—you need to put this book on your shelf for those who may not be in a safe position to purchase or possess it, who may only be able to read pieces when they bring their children to your library.
Overcoming hits the mark as a comprehensive guide for
anyone experiencing abuse and anyone wanting to support them. I love how Ms. Quint begins many chapters by illustrating how love, caring, and thankfulness is breathed into a healthy relationship as couples build and share their lives together. She is quite tender in her treatment of the spiritual dimension of marital life.
This stands in sharp contrast with her equally illuminating descriptions and victim voices of living life with an abuser. I have to admit, the more I read, the angrier I became. This is a dark world of fear, punishment, and pure evil.
The light of truth and Christ must be shown into this darkness to deliver our friends, colleagues, and family members from what can only be deemed the clutches of Satan himself. Our Lady has revealed over and over how his plan is to destroy the world by destroying the family. Overcoming reveals domestic abuse to be his favorite tactic. I will be forever grateful to Ms. Quint and Romans 8:28 Books for the work to make this comprehensive guide available. I can only imagine how hard Satan worked to keep it from being published and from getting into the hands of God’s children to use as a weapon against him.
My anger hasn’t subsided from the injustice and horrors of domestic abuse, but I am better equipped. I am more confident I will be able to provide the physical, emotional, and spiritual support when someone in my life trusts me enough to share their terrible secret. I am armed with knowing the difficulty our tortured sisters and brothers face when trying to leave and then coping when they finally make it out. I am prepared to connect them with the right support systems when they need them.
If you are experiencing abuse or are called to support someone who is, please reach out now. I will happily share my text with you. I plan to put a copy in my parish library, sharing it with our pastor and faith ministers, and encourage you to do the same in your faith community. If your local bookstore cannot get it for you, it is available on Amazon for $25.51 hardcover or $9.99 kindle.
