Can those struggling with sexual addiction and those who've been sexually abused find healing while attending the same Christian recovery program?

Freedom Session believes that it is possible to create a healing environment where all are welcome and accepted.  Early in our recovery experience, we felt an uneasy tension in the room between men who'd exploited women for selfish pleasure and women who'd been exploited/abused.  We held a special evening called "the Price of Peace" where we addressed this tension up front with a message that if Jesus died for all of us, knowing the extent of our evil hearts, then it was possible for us to learn to love each other or at least accept each other as we sought the healing He promises us.

During this evening, we read off two true stories from participants who were in the room.  We disguised their names, calling them Recovery Randy, a married man with children who'd struggled with sexual addiction since childhood, and Recovery Rhonda, a woman in her 50's who'd been abused as a child and raped as a teenager.  This was one of my most memorable ministry nights of my life as Jesus did an incredible work of healing in our midst.

If you are a woman, we wanted you to understand that, while those exploiting women are fully responsible for their actions, they were not born sexual addicts.  They were children, then teenagers with feelings, insecurities and fears like everyone else.

If you are a man and struggling in sexual addiction, we wanted you to understand the pictures you indulge are of real people with feelings and inner desire to be protected and loved, not a play thing for your pleasure.  Indulging pornography keeps the demand for exploiting more women, and as our society becomes sicker, young girls.

These stories are not meant to shame anyone, but to open our eyes so that we might see each other as Jesus sees us.

Recovery Randy | Recovery Rhonda