A dear friend of mine recently wrote this article, as the result of being seduced and manipulated by her pastor. I will not use her name, hoping to save her any undeserving condemnation or criticism. She has given me permission to share it with all of you. I’m curious to see how many comments and what the ratings might be. Feel free to give us your input…
Since this is national domestic violence awareness month… I wanted to contribute…
A predator is not necessarily some heinous villain… easily recognizable by his outward appearance. A predator is so much more than just what the sounding of the word signifies. The word predator should strike fear deep into the very depths of your heart… for the meaning of this word is so much broader than any of Webster’s definitions.
My Definition…
He is someone who appears so genuinely sincere, gaining so easily the trust of those around him wherever he goes. He is a person who will slowly and methodically ease his way past all your defenses… slowly… gently… with such precision and caution. He is a person who will not only befriend you on a personal basis… but with such great malicious intent… will begin to reach out to your very soul, caressing it ever so sweetly… ever so tenderly… until trust becomes so intimately instilled within its very fibers.
Over time, you find yourself standing there in the midst of his clutches, gazing in wonder at the melted decay of your walls puddled around your feet… at your self preservation as it lays in ruin round about you. Left with no defense, with no capacity to protect yourself… he strikes… with great care… with great precision… with great intensity of pure emotion… he strikes. You find yourself strangely aware of his advances… knowing from within the very depths of your heart that what is happening is not right…. but… you graciously give in. He has utterly torn down all your senses between reality and fantasy that you are no longer able to distinguish between right and wrong.
As he embraces you so lovingly and caresses you with such endearing passion… you begin to lose your heart to him… it’s easily swept into the current that now rages as you quietly and completely give yourself over to this man, to this predator. Once in his grasp… all clarity is lost. All sense of reason and direction are skewed. Nothing matters except feeding this bond that has now formed between these two hearts. One heart that is pure, open, and innocent … the other that is cold, dark, and maniacal. Sinister intentions arise and are shortly accomplished… to the utter and complete shame of the innocent. The emotional bonds that have been created are so strong that when he is done with you and wants no more… you find yourself in such destitution that no sense is left to be found. Laying there in agonizing despair… your heart cries out in torment… with no one left to give comfort…. your heart turns on you… blaming you for this great and terrible loss that you are now left to bare… alone… and in dreadful silence…
But rest assured sister… this blame you now feel will pass. And with its passing will return the light of sanity that you had once been stripped of… with the help of loving and true friends, you will once again return to the land of the living. Your eyes will begin once more to focus and truth will be your guide toward healing. See him for what he is… for what he was… and for what he will be ever be… a predator. Out to fulfill such selfish desires of a heart full of death and devoid of human compassion… this creature of darkness lurks in silence… waiting in the shadows… ready to take down his next prey. Watching ever so patiently for the smell of desperation in a woman’s countenance…. with a heart hungry for feminine vulnerability…
Rest assured sister… you were not the first nor will you be the last. You were one in a long line of hearts that were mangled and left by the wayside to rot. But there is hope. You will recover. Your life will move on. You are not to blame. Leave the shame that now covers you in the shadows that are now called your past. Let him no longer have reign over your heart or emotions. Free yourself completely from his grips… wipe your heart clean and free it from his memories… and simply move forward… one small step at a time… one single day at a time… and soon… very soon sister… hope will be restored… healing will begin anew… and life will be worth living once more…
*Hugs* to all my sisters out there who can relate… Here’s to life… restored… and wiser lived…