The dark world of spousal abuse

"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out."
                         (1 Corinthians 13:4-5 NLT )
It is truly a pleasure to have Avianne Asyiah Khalil to help me write my new book, "Tears in a bottle: Seeing through their eyes." Avianne brings a lot of knowledge and experience to the book and is very skilled in shaping and molding the character of Esther into an authentic Muslim woman. Being a Muslim woman herself, Avianne is a tremendous help in describing the customs, habits and rituals of what its like to be a Muslim woman. One of the main themes that we address together in this upcoming book is the dark and violent world of spousal abuse. It is far too common of a problem that emotional and physically devastates a woman and makes her feel hopeless and trapped. Esther is treated like a possession and a doormat. She becomes the slave of Mustafa and willingly does so because she has confused love with blind obedience. At one point in the book, after they have moved to New York City, Esther meets a wonderful Christian friend named Ariel one day in Central Park. They become very strong friends and Ariel is able to reach out with love and compassion to bring healing to her darkened world of abuse. However, once Mustafa finds out, He becomes enraged and locks Esther in the closet.

Are you locked and trapped in a closet and feel there's no way out? Are you looking for true love and have instead accepted abuse because of a lack of self-esteem?  I urge you to break free and tell a close friend your story.There are many "Ariels" in the world that want to reach out to you and give you hope and healing. If you have settled for a "love" that ridicules and controls your life, than you have embraced a cheap counterfeit. Jesus wants to give you His unconditional love of forgiveness and healing. When Esther meets Ariel in Central park, she finds a woman of compassion and love that treats her with kindness and gives her the dignity that she was missing. God wants to unlock the door of your closet today and set you free. His love is not a cheap counterfeit of control and abuse. It is an unconditional love that will set you free and bring healing to your scars.