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Dr. Masica Jordan, ©2015, p.248

What happens when a minister of the gospel, a professor of counseling and psychology, and a victim of sexual abuse meet? The victim finds total healing: healing of their spirit through faith in Jesus Christ (minister of the gospel) and healing of their mind and emotions through a Christ-centric counseling approach (counselor/ psychologist). That is what happened to Dr. Masica Jordan– a victim of sexual abuse, a layperson and a psychologist. Masica transcends her pain and suffering of early childhood sexual abuse and produces, as a result, a self help book called String of Pearls: Healing from Sexual Abuse. In the book String of Pearls: Healing from Sexual Abuse, Masica shows women who have been victims of sexual abuse how to find healing and uncover their true identity and purpose in Christ–the pearl that awaits them on the inside.

How does one make sense of pain and suffering? How can one say there is a reason for everything, especially when dark crimes, such as sexual abuse happens to a child? Though Masica does not attempt to answer these questions, we know that pain and suffering is a part of life at any age. However, in this self-help book, Masica shows how the process of making a pearl is very similar to transforming our pain and suffering into something beautiful. The pearl is produced as a result of irritation from a grain of sand. As a result of trying to disgorge this irritant, an equisite pearl is formed. From this premise, Masica bases her book, walking her victim step-by-step through a 40 day healing process.

Although you might not be a victim of sexual abuse, it is likely you know somone who has. According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse, Incest, National Network), 1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. Within that group, 1 out of every 3 women has been sexually abused. That means we meet these women everyday: they might be in our family, they are definitely in our churches or a part of our congregations; they might be our friends; or it could very well be you.

String of Pearls: Healing from Sexual Abuse is, therefore, a must-read. Outsides of counseling, many of us do not know how to find healing if we have been a victim or minister healing to one who has been a victim. Telling someone “I’ll pray for you,” “forgive and forget” or “get over it” does not help, says Masica. In fact, such statements could be considered insensitve. Emotions are such that the more you ignore them the more they act out in maladaptive ways, for example, as in depression, obesity, anxiety, anger, and even suicidal thoughts or actions. Yes, God heals with or without us. But it is important to be aware and confront these emotions in the healing process. By becoming missionaries to our own hearts, we, then, can become missionaries to others in helping them. Masica demonstrates this idea beautifully in her book, taking what is deeply personal and making it universal. Even if we have not been abused, we are able to relate because pain is a natural part of life.

Truly, Dr. Jordan has taken the pain in her life and made a beautiful rare and precious stone to share with all of us. There is so much to learn within the book even if one is not a victim. In that case, you might want to skip the lessons. If you are a victim of sexual abuse, get the book. If you know someone who has been sexually abused, tell them about it or better still, purchase it for them.

Now you are equipped to help yourself or help someone.


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