The consequence of the absence of love
I think it’s safe to say that most of us desire love (the romantic kind!) at some stage in our lives. But what is it that shapes those relationships? Our expectations can be very low if our experiences have never shown us what love really is.
God is love…
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 118:1
Aneshka’s childhood was deprived of love. She is now 36. She arrived at the Women's Crisis Centre (WCC) in September with nothing but her new born baby after fleeing her abusive husband.
She recalls slipping into deep depression during her early years feeling that the world was bad. It started after her parents divorced and she was neglected as her mother began bringing many men in and out of the home. This lack of love caused resentment as she was left to fend for herself. By age 14 she had to stop school and get a job.
She married within a couple of years but it was a bad relationship. After having a child at 19, her husband hung himself and she was left alone once more.
Some years later Aneshka met someone new and this time believed it was ‘real love’. Sadly, her lack of real love experience warped her expectations. In reality this man was controlling and physically abusive – it was a typical case of the old Russian saying 'If he beats you it means he loves you'. Her husband was a drug addict too and persuaded Aneshka to try them - soon she was being fed the deadly drug 'Salts'... "This was my life, or the likeness of it, and any love I had for him soon turned to hatred." By this time, Aneshka's older child had left home and was thankfully making a life for herself in Germany.
With a three-week-old baby, while her husband was high, Aneshka grabbed a few baby things and ran from the flat that reeked of drug use, to the Women's Crisis Centre.
Here, through care of the WCC team she will hear about Jesus and at last have the chance to learn what real love is in a safe place where she can recover with the support she needs to do it.
This year’s Lent Appeal is all about securing both the Men’s and Women’s Crisis Centres by helping them buy the land on which they sit.
Find out more and donate today so more abused and addicted mothers like Aneshka have the chance to be loved and the opportunity to change their lives.