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Speak Out

October 8, 2018 by April

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble.
Psalm 107:2 in the New International Version (NIV)

Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!
Tell others he has saved you from your enemies.
Psalm 107:2 in The Living Bible (TLB)

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary.
Psalm 107:2 in the New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim
that he has redeemed them from the power of the foe.
Psalm 107:2 in the Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

I have been redeemed and it is time for me to speak up and say so! I don’t typically speak up in a group setting, so this is not my natural go-to. However, this month is Write 31 Days and I’ve joined many others in setting the goal to write everyday this month. And, in obedience to my Heavenly Father, I will be proclaiming His redemption in my life. Since I haven’t blogged in forever, it will be a learning curve to come write in this space each day.

First of all, I grew up in a loving, conservative, Christian home. I was born in Alaska, the years I was seven and eight we lived in Wisconsin for the winter and went to Alaska in the summer. From nine until fourteen we lived full-time in Wisconsin; then two months after I turned fourteen we moved back to Alaska.

You know how so often young kids are asked what they want to be when they grow up? As a young girl, the only thing I ever wanted to be was a mom and wife.

Prior to nine, I was a very happy child. I totally believed Jesus was the answer to anything and everything, this belief has never wavered. I’ve often been told I have a lot of faith. Mostly, I’m determined and stubborn. I know what I believe and I believe whole-heartedly in Jesus Christ as my Savior – no matter what.

When I was nine, I was sexually abused. There was a lot of confusion and mistrust planted in my mind because the abuser told me my parents knew and were okay with what he was doing. Of course they didn’t know, but I didn’t know this until I was a junior in high school. After the abuse, I started to have nightmares. I never told anyone about them, but I practiced my absolute faith early on – in the nightmare I would simply say, “In the name of Jesus, you can’t hurt me”, and then I’d wake up. It was not uncommon for this to happen multiple times in a single night. There were a couple recurring, but most just had the same theme.

In my naiveté, the lies I believed included that I would never be able get married, which to me also ment I’d never have children. When I went to college I was introduced to someone who claimed to have been raised similarly to me, and said there was no issue with the previous abuse.

Shortly after getting married, I realized life was not going to be what I expected. Nor, was it something I should have understood. It was an abusive marriage – emotionally and verbally – probably in other ways too, but I haven’t chosen to research it too much. I didn’t understand what was going on, and I thought I was stuck for life. I had been taught, believed, and committed to marriage for life. I didn’t understand there were options unless there was physical abuse. So I attempted to make the best of life. I put aside the dream of being a mom, I doubted it could be good. I knew I didn’t want to bring children into the abusive situation.

Redemption: When I thought I wouldn’t ever get married, I did. While I thought it was best to not have children, God had other plans. My son is my oldest; over his second birthday I had a miscarriage. At that point life had becom enearly unbearable. I believed it best for him to be an only child. Eleven days after his third birthday, my daughter was born. Ten weeks later my husband, my childrens’ daddy left.

We were redeemed. He was the abuser, and he left. I can only attribute his leaving to being an answer to prayer. I would not have had children without being married, and I belived being married was for life. Our family of three was recovered. Our family of three was changed for the better. Our family of three was obtained, released, restored from “captivity”.

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I know I don't do social media well, so I do not have separate accounts for business & personal. This is my business Instagram feed. It's still me posting. Just not me strung out trying to keep up with two accounts. #limitsofanintrovert Thanks for being gracious & understanding! :-)

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April C Keller
The power is out. Now is when it’s REALLY conven The power is out. Now is when it’s REALLY convenient to read eBooks (& you have fully charged devices). The orange glow to the right is from the collection of candles I had handy. 
Super duper thankful for the gas fireplace!!! The temp was 43° earlier today, has dropped to 15° & supposed to continue dropping thru the night.
#thankfultonotreadbycandlelight
#gasfireplacesareawesome
#eveofchristmaseve2020 #decemberinwi
Dec 22, 2020 at 7:39am😍😍😍 No need to say Dec 22, 2020 at 7:39am😍😍😍
No need to say more.
#decembersunrise #wisconsin #wearegaininglightnow
December 21st is the shortest day of the year. As December 21st is the shortest day of the year. As a lifelong Alaskan my body & mind are very tuned to this date - we now gain daylight each day. Living WI has had many benefits & blessings - the least of which isn’t even how I will see the daylight before I get to work. 😍😍😍 I am not sad about this in the least!

I’m so thankful for this morning’s living/dining/kitchen views. I love the glow of Christmas lights & the way they immediately stop my thoughts in their tracks and cause me to remember to be thankful.
#christmas2020 #ak2co2wi #mondaymornings #thankful #blessed #christmaslights
😍😍😍 Como Park Conservatory = eye candy ev 😍😍😍 Como Park Conservatory = eye candy every time. {{sigh}}
We caught the sun low in the sky & it was simply beautiful! When we walked out it was the setting sun on the glass building & the flag blowing in a lazy breeze. #coldbutbeautiful #perfect 
#comoparkconservatory #midnovember #eyecandy #soulfilling #breathtaking #thankfulfortheopportunity #americanflaginthebreeze
Just a tiny note to share how much I am absolutely Just a tiny note to share how much I am absolutely LOVING the sunrise pink at 7am in mid-November! 😍😍😍
It’s a whole 25° & supposed to start snowing within the hour. (Do you see the neighbor’s pink window reflections?)
#happymonday #blessings #itsanewweek #wintersunrisebefore8
Hi guys! April’s daughter here. Due to an unkind Hi guys! April’s daughter here. Due to an unkind comment and a hard week behind the social media wall she deleted the post. After a good talk and encouragement I am here re-posting with permission. Remember that what’s seen on social media does not reflect what goes on behind the scenes. The intention of the post was to share a personal struggle and encourage others who may feel the same. A difference of opinion does not require a comment. 

The repost:

Are you an American? If so, voting is your civic duty. 
🇺🇸To not vote is the same as voting against your freedom.
🇺🇸To not vote is the same as voting against your right of citizenship. 
🇺🇸To not vote is the same as disregarding every American soldier and his/her family’s sacrifice for you. 
I promise – no matter what you think – YOU ARE NOT TOO BUSY to vote! This year especially, they have made it so easy (not interested in debating the right/wrongness of this, just stating fact) and it’s not as if the deadline has been a surprise date. If you choose to not vote, there is no excuse other than being lulled into apathy by the privilege you take for granted. Don’t be lazy.

For those who think I’m being too harsh – these are the things I had to remind myself of in the not so distant past as I was overwhelmed by figuring out the simple-yet-not-so-simple-process of how to register as a new resident, where to vote, and who to vote for. And then again today as anxiety joined me when I’d parked at my polling place & it was time to actually stand in line with all the others.

Side note, 2020 brought yet another first for me: I’ve never voted on a non-Alaskan ballot. Instead of boroughs & districts, I navigated counties & wards. 
Even so, the ballot looked the same. 😊 

And then I went for a beautiful country drive through harvested fields and looked at barns. Feeling thankful & blessed for the freedom and ability to do so.
A little crisp & foggy outside, but perfectly cozy A little crisp & foggy outside, but perfectly cozy inside.🍂🍁

#september2020 #fall #thankful
So...not exactly a surprise!😊 Take your own qu So...not exactly a surprise!😊

Take your own quiz at holleygerth.com/introvertquiz
 
You definitely should go check out more about The Powerful Purpose if Introverts by @holleygerth 
#introvertpurpose #introvert #godmadeuseachunique
🍂Fall is coming! 🍂 This change of the season 🍂Fall is coming! 🍂
This change of the seasons is the first one I’ve felt alert for since moving here 🍁🍂 & it’s all so pretty (the 5 trees I’ve seen starting to change)! But I’m not in the least ready for it, it’s the 1st time in 18 years I haven’t needed school supplies of some sort - for either of the kids (homeschooling) or myself (college). Now, I just get to enjoy all the school supplies simply because I love them!😊

The first pic is just for enjoyment because I know the majority if you can’t possibly understand what the 2nd & 3rd photos mean to me. 😊

As an introvert who has been transitioning from work-from-home to working-at-the-office-everyday, on a team & working on a variety of projects, I often feel as if I’m majorly failing at simply being nice. 

I’m too often in my head, processing all I’m trying to remember to do/get done & short of smiling in passing, there isn’t a ton of other interaction. BUT the 2nd photo is evidence of while not having more than a handful of non-work related conversations, I have a co-worker who knows me incredible well! On Tues, she brought me one Pantone color book & yesterday she brought me SEVEN more!😍 
I never dreamed I’d get to touch one of these little color charts in real-life, let alone have a set of them living at my desk!!! 

2020 will never be forgotten, for so many reasons. Big & small.
#seen&known #itsthelittlethings #littlethingsadduptobigthings #blessed #thankful
It’s no small secret I’m a hard-core introvert It’s no small secret I’m a hard-core introvert & not by just a little bit. Social distancing has always been my norm. I can’t say I’ve seen this as a blessing in life 🥴. 

Ironically, while 2020 has required so many social appreciators (extroverts) to stay at/work from home, life in 2020 has required me to learn how to work out of the home full-time. After working from home for the last 20 years, this has not been a small adjustment!

I have lived in WI for 8 months now, and I’m just starting to feel semi-human in daily life. I totally & completely underestimated the toll an unexpected 2nd large move, traveling over Christmas, wrapping up my senior year of college/degree, having my oldest graduate college, and working on a team of people out of the house full-time would have on me. #notenoughhourstorecovereachday

You will likely see me in this space more as I’m on the book launch team for The Powerful Purpose of Introverts, the latest book by @holleygerth. I’m really looking forward to learning how being an introvert can be a blessing & strength.

 #introvertpurpose #createdinhisimage #lovedasiam #nothingtoprove #introvert
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