Minister Kim Bradford
Introducing "Minister Kim Bradford” – the empowering podcast tailored for Christian women seeking wisdom and support. Join our insightful women preacher as she opens up about her own journey through divorce, life's challenges, and the pain of church ostracism. Discover how she navigates spiritual warfare and transforms trials into triumphs, all while letting God work for the greater good and his glory. Tune in for a refreshing blend of conversations, reflections, and faith-building discussions. It's time to sip on tea, engage in meaningful talk, and grow in the body of Christ Jesus to fulfill God’s Kingdom by turning our pain to purpose. Join us today with “Minister Kim Bradford” Subscribe now and embark on a transformative journey towards healing, strength, and spiritual growth.
Minister Kim Bradford
The Divorce Pigpen: Finding Your Way Back to Freedom
Have you ever felt trapped in a situation that seemed inescapable, wondering how you might ever find the courage to break free? In this heartfelt episode, I open up about my personal journey of enduring 22 years in an emotionally and psychologically abusive marriage. Despite a facade of love, the truth was a life confined by control and manipulation. As we draw inspiration from the tale of the prodigal son, we explore the power of divine love to heal and restore. By sharing my story, I hope to remind anyone feeling stuck that they are not alone and that a brighter, more hopeful future is possible.
We also shift the narrative around abuse, highlighting that it reflects more on the abuser's need for control than any weakness in the victim. Throughout moments of despair, I found guidance in Jesus divine presence that turned what seemed like abandonment into spiritual renewal. Drawing strength from Joel 2:25, we discuss the promise of restoration and the affirmation that everyone is worthy of love and dignity. This episode encourages listeners to reject shame, embrace their divine identity, and reclaim their spiritual strength in Christ Jesus. Whether you are seeking to break free from a painful past or simply need reassurance of your worth, join us for a powerful reflection on finding hope and healing.
Welcome, welcome to today's episode. I want it like trapped. Trapped in a place you don't belong, or a place that's draining you, you know, draining you of, stuck in what I call a pig pen. It wasn't a literal pig pen, you know, but it was a place of pain, confusion and quiet suffering. Maybe you're in a similar situation right now, or maybe you've come out of it but still carry the scars Wherever you are in your journey. I want you to know this you don't have to stay there. So today's episode is titled Divorce Pigpen Finding your Way Back to Freedom. We're going to talk about what it means to leave the pigpen whether that's an abusive relationship, a season of brokenness or anything that's holding you back and how to step into healing and restoration that God has for you. Let us dive in it, will we?
Speaker 1:You know, myself personally, I stayed in my own version of a pig pen for 22 years. I was in a marriage where the abuse wasn't obvious. There were no bruises or scars for the world to see, but I was emotionally, sexually, psychologically and financially abused. And because it wasn't visible, no one questioned it, not even me. You know, at first the abuse was subtle, like a slow drip of poison. You see, my then-husband wasn't physically violent or outwardly cruel. In fact, he played the part of a loving husband. He bought me tea at night, you know washed my clothes and even brought me food at church during fellowship time, at fellowship events some of us call it fellowship home. To everyone else, he looked like the perfect husband. He would hold the door for me and getting in the car and hold the door for me going into the store, but behind closed doors. There was another side. He withheld love to control me. He found ways to make me feel small, to make me question my worth and make me feel broken. How many, how many of you know, although you may feel and or may be broken, the word of God in you is never broken, for it is God's word, not man's, who created your inmost being, knit you together in your mother's womb, which makes you yes, as the word tells us, fearfully and wonderfully made no-transcript, because the God in me was covering me with his mercy and grace. But it was still so subtle and it was powerful. You see, I began to feel like I was looking deaf in the face. Not a quick death, but a slow, creeping cancer that was eating, was eating my spirit. You see, I have to be honest. You know that it's hard. You know it's hard to talk about it even now, today. It even now, today, it's hard to admit that I was abused because I told myself I would never let that happen. I thought I was too strong.
Speaker 1:You know, has a way of sneaking in, doesn't it? It finds cracks in the foundations and it grows there slowly. It reminds me of the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. He thought he had everything figured out when he took his inheritance and left his father's house, but soon the prodigal son found himself in a pig pen, dirty, ashamed and desperate. It wasn't until he came to his senses that he decided to return home. What he didn't realize was that his father had been waiting for him the entire time, ready to restore him, not as a servant, but as a beloved son, just as our Father in heaven is waiting for you to be restored as his loving daughter.
Speaker 1:That's exactly what God does for us, even when we are in our own pig pens, whether it's in an abusive relationship, self-doubt or shame. He's waiting to welcome us, how long we stayed or how far we fell. He just runs to us with open arms. He runs to us with open arms, ready to heal and ready to restore. And ready to restore the questions.
Speaker 1:You know, it still lingers in my mind sometimes why, why didn't I get help? Why did I stay? You know, I knew I was beautiful, you see, inside and out, I knew I was lovable, worthy and deserving of respect and affection, because, you see, the God in me was covering me with his grace and mercy. But nevertheless I stay. And maybe someone is listening have asked yourselves, you have asked yourself those same questions. Let me tell you what I've learned.
Speaker 1:Abuse isn't about weakness, it's about someone else's brokenness and their need to control. But here's the good news. You know what I learned? There is some good news, there's some glory. Even when I didn't see a way out, god was with me. You see, his love sustained me even in the darkest moments.
Speaker 1:And when my then husband asked for a divorce, I realized it wasn't just him walking away, it was God calling me home, calling me home. You see, when he walks out, it's not him just walking away, it is God calling you home. He said he will restore you to the years that the locust has been eaten in Joel 2.25. God will restore you. You see, god reminded me that I didn't belong in the pig pen. I am his daughter, you are his daughter, you are a child of the king. You see, I was never meant, just as well as you are never meant to sit in a place of shame and pain or unworthiness. So remember, come home to the Father and no longer allow yourself to sit in the pig's pen, for you are worthy to receive God's glory. Amen, amen.
