Restoration  

Beauty from Ashes

All women deserve the right to live an abundant life. However, US statistics reveal as high as one in three women has experienced sexual abuse. Sexual abuse is a heinous and violent crime against an individual causing pain, shame, and silence that can result in a woman feeling paralyzed for the rest of her life. Many of these women are walking wounded, surviving but not thriving. They are professionals, wives, mothers, daughters, struggling with life. Perhaps they were fortunate to have experienced professional counseling, but a deep wound still exists that is often hidden in shame. 

This Biblically-based program incorporates Scripture throughout to allow God to help women overcome their very personal and private struggles. Restoration points out that in the moment of sexual abuse, a woman’s three basic rights are taken away: her voice, strength, and relationships. The heart of this study is to guide women in trusting God to restore these rights, making beauty from ashes.

Resources

The HEART of the Restoration: Beauty From Ashes program is to see women move from the association of the “MeToo” movement (I have been sexually abused) to “WeToo” (by God’s grace and healing power, I have been restored).

The resources below comprise the Restoration curriculum and are intended to be used in tandem with the on-demand video lessons to receive the full benefit of the program.

  • “Restoration: Beauty from Ashes'' group holds true to its name. It helped me more than any therapy session I have ever been to. I have experienced sexual, emotional, physical and mental abuse. Five years ago, my then boyfriend abducted me. The Lord rescued me from that situation and made sure this group was part of my healing journey. I now see a hope for my life that I never had. The curriculum that was used not only addressed the issues created by the abuse, but also helped me understand work through things that I have struggled with for years.”

    Single Mom, 28 years old

  • “Restoration was the first time in 25 years that I allowed myself to speak about my first sexual abuse and rape that occurred while I was in college. It was something that only remained a blip in my mind. I thought I had overcome any problems I may have had from that experience. But if it was from Restoration that I finally started to break down walls of shame I didn’t even realize I had. It was like opening a door to new self-esteem, something I didn’t know I had lost. Restoration helped me find peace and happiness in who I am in Christ.”

    single, professional, 39 years old

  • “Restoration connected me to a group of women with commonality. I never told a single person about my abuse but kept it a secret until I shared with my Restoration leader. Like many women, I suffered alone in silence. Restoration provided me a safe place where I wasn’t judged and I could eventually open up about my hurts and my hopes. Working through the workbook journal helped me begin to work through my emotions and to hear God’s truth about who I am. Restoration is both therapeutic and faith based, which I greatly appreciate.”

    wife, mother, 52 years old