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I have a lot going on in my life right now, and I know God is active in my experiences.
I was in a relationship with someone who had a lot of mental health issues. I had always tried to support him and probably past a point that was healthy.
He had many episodes that included raging, throwing things, threats - and I had always tried to be the calm one, but eventually things escalated to a point where I could no longer calm him down.
One night he drank too much and was threatening to get in his car and drive crazy, "I'll either end up crashing or getting arrested," he yelled. I calmly walked toward him but in a very assertive tone told him to hand me his keys, and that it was dangerous for him to drive. I was not only thinking of his own safety, but others on the road as well. I would often ignore his tactics but he knew I couldn't ignore this one.
He grabbed me and flipped me around, bent down and picked up both my legs with force so I face planted on the wood floor, it knocked my front teeth out. I won't go into the drama that happened afterward, but I called my family and they called the police for fear of my safety.
He was charged with felony assault and the police pursued him aggressively. He left the state and I was told by my domestic abuse counselors that normally they just wait until a person charged with a domestic got pulled over with a warrant, due to the limits in funding. And also, that if he was not in a nearby state they wouldn't extradite so basically he could have live in a far away state like many people with warrants do and nothing happens to them (besides the fact they live with a felony warrant over their head).
This is not what happened. The US Marshalls were notified and they found him in CA and were ready to go get him and extradite him immediately. My advocates said they had never heard of anything like that for a domestic crime.
He was caught and has plead not guilty, his parents paid for a very good lawyer and they are challenging everything, bringing it to trial which scares me.
After no contact with him for three months, and on a late Friday evening, I decided to message him - part of me felt sympathy as I have forgiven him, but another part of me is terrified to testify against him. While I was writing him, I was mid-sentence in telling him that I have no plans in testifying, which basically meant he would win in court. And this is hard to believe, but at that moment there was a knock at my door, it was the Sheriff's office serving me a subpoena to testify against him. At that very moment.
I cried hysterically because I knew that there was a message I needed to receive. I prayed for answers, and asked my family -- what I have gleaned from this whole cascade of events was that God is in charge, and I need to follow through with this even as hard and scary as it seems. That justice is not only about my own feelings, but about making sure people are reprimanded for their violent behaviors - for their own learning, AND the safety of others he may have contact with in the future.
This is more of a testimony of God's will to bring justice, and also to protect the innocent. At least that is how I received the message.
I pray for him now that he abide God's will and his through this accept his guidance. I also pray that I never have to go through this again.
Hopefully that wasn't inappropriate for this forum, if it is, I apologize and understand if you remove it. It was a very powerful experience for me that taught me how God is always working in our lives, every step of the way.
I was in a relationship with someone who had a lot of mental health issues. I had always tried to support him and probably past a point that was healthy.
He had many episodes that included raging, throwing things, threats - and I had always tried to be the calm one, but eventually things escalated to a point where I could no longer calm him down.
One night he drank too much and was threatening to get in his car and drive crazy, "I'll either end up crashing or getting arrested," he yelled. I calmly walked toward him but in a very assertive tone told him to hand me his keys, and that it was dangerous for him to drive. I was not only thinking of his own safety, but others on the road as well. I would often ignore his tactics but he knew I couldn't ignore this one.
He grabbed me and flipped me around, bent down and picked up both my legs with force so I face planted on the wood floor, it knocked my front teeth out. I won't go into the drama that happened afterward, but I called my family and they called the police for fear of my safety.
He was charged with felony assault and the police pursued him aggressively. He left the state and I was told by my domestic abuse counselors that normally they just wait until a person charged with a domestic got pulled over with a warrant, due to the limits in funding. And also, that if he was not in a nearby state they wouldn't extradite so basically he could have live in a far away state like many people with warrants do and nothing happens to them (besides the fact they live with a felony warrant over their head).
This is not what happened. The US Marshalls were notified and they found him in CA and were ready to go get him and extradite him immediately. My advocates said they had never heard of anything like that for a domestic crime.
He was caught and has plead not guilty, his parents paid for a very good lawyer and they are challenging everything, bringing it to trial which scares me.
After no contact with him for three months, and on a late Friday evening, I decided to message him - part of me felt sympathy as I have forgiven him, but another part of me is terrified to testify against him. While I was writing him, I was mid-sentence in telling him that I have no plans in testifying, which basically meant he would win in court. And this is hard to believe, but at that moment there was a knock at my door, it was the Sheriff's office serving me a subpoena to testify against him. At that very moment.
I cried hysterically because I knew that there was a message I needed to receive. I prayed for answers, and asked my family -- what I have gleaned from this whole cascade of events was that God is in charge, and I need to follow through with this even as hard and scary as it seems. That justice is not only about my own feelings, but about making sure people are reprimanded for their violent behaviors - for their own learning, AND the safety of others he may have contact with in the future.
This is more of a testimony of God's will to bring justice, and also to protect the innocent. At least that is how I received the message.
I pray for him now that he abide God's will and his through this accept his guidance. I also pray that I never have to go through this again.
Hopefully that wasn't inappropriate for this forum, if it is, I apologize and understand if you remove it. It was a very powerful experience for me that taught me how God is always working in our lives, every step of the way.
