| Author | Message | ||
| Yossariana Registered user Username: Yossariana Post Number: 18 Registered: 8-2004  |
I am wondering how long will it take to be free and happy again!? I am more convinced now than I was at the beginning that 'adventism' is a 'brain-washing', 'imprisoning' system. I feel somehow that it destroyed my joy and freedom and distorted the image of Christ and, above all plunged me into confusion. In my adventist years, I always felt sidelined or marginalised, and almost always my adventist friends concluded that I am too sensitive and to correct my vulnerability is a must, since according to egw, this is a sign of one's sinful nature. I wish I could find all the words to express my disappointment... I remember the last Sabbath in my country, before I flew to Uk to my husband....If somebody in the church leaves or moves to another country or place, there is a custom for somebody in the church to pray for those ppl. Everybody knew that on the next day I will leave Romania. But nobody said anything. They didn't say a prayer for me nor did they wish me good...I went home and cried...and I asked God to protect me. Yesterday, I was speaking to my Romanian adventist friend, who just moved to the Usa, and she told me how happy she was because the church made a special program for their leaving and of course, a special prayer, with ppl crying...and emotional stuff... How long does it take to overcome this emotional phase?????? I am not depressive, I am a very (or used to be) happy woman, but since my 'collision' with sda...I really feel useless. I pray the Lord won't leave me in this stage!!! Amen! | ||
| Tracey Registered user Username: Tracey Post Number: 315 Registered: 9-2004 |
the Lord is with you even now.. The bible says that We have not a God who is not touched by the feelings of our infirmities. Your heart is broken and you are down, but take heart because Jesus said I came to heal the broken hearted and I will never leave you, I will never forsake you. | ||
| Helovesme2 Registered user Username: Helovesme2 Post Number: 141 Registered: 8-2004 |
Yossariana I'm sorry! People can be so cruel! But hang tight to Jesus. He did not bring you this far to drop you - or to leave you in disappointment! | ||
| Tracey Registered user Username: Tracey Post Number: 316 Registered: 9-2004 |
If you are sad, He is sad with you. If you are Happy, He rejoices with you. He is your Lord. Let your heart break for those that do not know the freedom of the Way, the Truth and the Life, as you do now. The bible says the steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord. When you walked out, Yossariana, it was your God appointed time and you were obedient. You are in the place the LOrd wants you. To depend on them for ANYTHING, is not what He wants. He loves you, We love and He wants you to recognize that and lean on him in these hurtful circumstances. doing this will increase your faith of what God can do for you, emotionally and spiritually. It makes your personal relationship with the Lord stronger. You may feel hurt, and I feel hurt with you my sister, but I trust our God. He has not left you. You are at a point of No Turning Back, so guess what that means? You hold on to Jesus with all your might and He won't let you go. You would have to walk away from Him if ever the relationship is broken. Also, don't be surprised if the world hates you (or doesn't show love toward you i.e. your old church) Look what they did to our innocent Lord. Lift Up Your Head, O ye Gates and Ye Everlasting Doors and the KING OF GLORY SHALL COME IN! Who is this kIng of Glory, The Lord STRONG and MIGHTY. MIGHTY in BATTLE. Lift up your head, O Yossariana! He is the LIFTER of YOUR HEAD, my sister. Love and Peace, Tracey | ||
| Melissa Registered user Username: Melissa Post Number: 811 Registered: 7-2003  |
Yossariana, I will gladly pray for you. I know it is not the same, and I'm sorry you were disappointed by those who were your friends. I cannot replace those personal friends, but I hope it is a bit of peace knowing you are in my prayers. | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 1248 Registered: 3-2004  |
Yossariana, Leaving the SDA church is like a divorce, or a death of a loved one and there is a grieving process through which a person goes. You are going through that process, so hang tight to Jesus. He is carrying you in His awesome hands and will continue to carry you until you can stand. But He will never leave you. He will always be with you. There are 5 stages to the grief process. There is denial, anger and acceptance is the last one. I do not remember what the other two are. You will go back and forth between these stages. Everyone goes through these stages differently. There is no set pattern. But through it all God is holding you. Hang on tight to Him. He will see you through this. He is awesome. Diana | ||
| Tealeaves Registered user Username: Tealeaves Post Number: 227 Registered: 5-2004 |
Ditto Flyinglady! The leaving does bring on a gireving process. And the only cure for grief is to grieve... so Yossariana, let yourself grieve it, and realize that you did experience a loss... Trust in God, He will lead you through. -tanya- | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 1663 Registered: 12-2003  |
Yossariana, I understand your deep sadness. Diana and Tanya and Tracey have said it so well--you have suffered incredible loss, and you have lost your identity as surely as if you had gone through a divorce. The sadness is inevitable--but you will walk through it. Jesus will walk with you, and His strength will be yours. Ask God to strengthen your heart, and ask Him to place His Spirit in the place in your heart where the spirit of Adventism had been. God is faithful; when you surrender your Adventist identity to Him, He will give you His identity. With prayers for you, Colleen | ||
| Lindylou Registered user Username: Lindylou Post Number: 38 Registered: 1-2005 |
Dear Yossoriana, Your post brought tears to my eyes - as I thought of your heartache! All the above advice is so good. It is not an easy journey! It has taken me years to find the peace I so longed for! (Don't let that discourage you.  ) I finally learned not to fight the pain or heartache - I realized that all those stages of grief I was going through was just part of the incredible journey. I slowly discarded all my tangled up beliefs and boiled everything down to just one thing - that Jesus Christ is my Savior - who died and rose again so that I might have life in Him - And He tells me over and over in the Bible - "Have no fear, I am with you to the end of all time." There is a wonderful book written by Sue Monk Kidd, called, "When the Heart Waits". She uses the analogy of the caterpillar changing into a butterfly - before that can happen - there is a period of darkness (in the cocoon) that is very necessary. "Whenever new life grows and emerges, darkness is crucial to the process. Whether it's the caterpillar in the chrysalis, the seed in the ground, the child in the womb, or the True Self in the soul, there's always a time of waiting in the dark." There's one more quote I'll leave you with - it says it best: "When we enter the spiritual night, we can feel alone, encompassed by a fearful darkness. What we need to remember is that we're carried in God's womb, in God's divine heart, even when we don't know it, even when God seems far away." So take heart - God is with you in the grief - and in the dark. And one of these days soon - you will see the wonderful results of this time of waiting in incubation! Meanwhile, You will be in the thoughts and prayers of many here in the forum! | ||
| Yossariana Registered user Username: Yossariana Post Number: 19 Registered: 8-2004 |
Hello again, I do know that this process Im going through it's not an easy one, it's like a 'divorce'. The SDA church was the truth church for me for a long time. What made me really sad, was the way they treated me, just because I married Steve, who's an Anglican, and the way they treated him...I think, for me, it was a sign of what Jesus said about the true Christians 'By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?' Anyway, I don't want to upset anyone, it's been a hard time at work and 8 people have died since Christmas (Im working at a nursing home), and maybe this was the last drop which caused my sadness. I just want to have Jesus! But I feel there's a fight inside me and it's difficult to forget about the past. At least I know that I would never go back to adventism. I am so happy that everytime I have doubts in what I believe now, I can have a look on this forum and after I read the expeariences posted here, I say to myself 'I am not the only one'... May God bless all those who share their expearience and lead others sda slaves to understand the pure love and freedom in Christ. Yossariana | ||
| Blacksheep Registered user Username: Blacksheep Post Number: 7 Registered: 3-2005 |
It is amazing to me how many people there are coming, or have come out of the slavery of SDA, and for years I thought I was the only one and carried the pain and mind torture for so long trying to justify my coming out, thinking I could be wrong, and losing the grace of God in the process. It is so calming to see others who have shaken off the chains and are living new happy lives. There is hope. | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 1679 Registered: 12-2003 |
Praise God that He is faithful to heal our wounds! That's what this weekend is all about; He carried all the abuse and pain we have suffered as well as our sins and died under their weight on the cross. But He is risen, and we can be free indeed! How wonderful that He has called us out of the confusion and bondage of Aventism and made us His! Colleen | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 1261 Registered: 3-2004 |
I can only add AMEN to Colleen's comment. Thank you God. You are awesome. Diana | ||
| Yossariana Registered user Username: Yossariana Post Number: 20 Registered: 8-2004 |
Colleen, you just found the word for me...Maybe I am not sad, I just feel abused But I want to assure you that I've decided to have a positive 'approach' to my case, because I believe in what Jesus said 'blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God' AMEN! I remember what Steve told me first time when I found this forum: 'as you can see, on this forum are nice and honest people, you should join and make friends and leave those terrible SDA'. I never thought like this, but God, in His plan, gave me Steve to help me see that there are kind, honest, humble and God loving people outside the SDA cage. )))))))))) |
