Anchored in Christ

Justin and Lindsey Holcomb share the following definition of sexual assault and statistics on sexual assault in the infographic below with stats taken from their book Rid of My Disgrace: Hope and Healing for Victims of Sexual Assault.

Their definition of sexual assault and a few quotes from their book:

Sexual assault is not just forcible rape, sexual assault is any type of sexual behavior or contact where consent is not freely given or obtained and is accomplished through force, intimidation, violence, coercion, manipulation, threat, deception, or abuse of authority.

• Sexual assault occurs in 10-14% of all marriages
• Every two minutes someone in the US is sexually assaulted
• 17% of men and 25% of women are or will be victims of sexual assault in their lifetime
• 80% of victims are under 30
• Only 5-20% of sexual assaults are actually reported
• 90% of young women involved in prostitution were sexually abused as children
• 80% of victims are assaulted by a known acquaintance

We are all powerless to heal ourselves. Research shows that self-help statements have been found to be ineffective and even harmful by making some people with low self-esteem feel even worse about themselves in the long term. As a matter of fact, positive self-statements frequently end up reinforcing and strengthening one’s original negative self-perception they were trying to change.

Grace transforms and heals; and healing comes by hearing God’s statements to you, not speaking your own statements to yourself.

Jesus shared in absolute abandonment and the pain of sufferers. He carries the burden of pain with you. Jesus understands your pain, because he was a victim of violence and suffered injustice. He knows what it means to bear shame. He knows what it means to be alone, naked, bleeding, and crying out to God.

Graphic used with permission from Crossway Books.