DOMESTIC ABUSE an issue of power

Domestic violence / abuse is never right, even if it has become acceptable in your home or culture.
It could turn out to be fortunate that domestic abuse has come center stage in recent days. Fortunate in that the problem of abuse has never gone away, only our willingness to recognize and act against it. We must consider the dialogue that has begun as a potential for progress against this terrible offense. The Bible tells men to "...Dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life..." 1Peter 3:7.

• Knowing the needs of our spouses, and not using them as weapons against them, builds and benefits our relationships and helps us realize that we need each other.
• Honoring them lifts them up from within because they feel the value we place upon them in our lives and we will naturally protect them because of their intrinsic value. 
• Understanding that the life that we have is only by the grace of God, the undeserved and unearned gift of the Almighty, should cause us to treat the gift of their life as a blessing from heaven as well; for we certainly have not earned our life any more than they.

Let us now engage in a dialogue for change and act:

• With godliness in our approach
• With compassion for the victims
• With a plan for protection
• With appropriate action against the offenders