Being cared for, then caring for others

[Kimberly Kiefer]

"As our journey in the days ahead takes us to various provision topics, let’s consider the ways we have been cared for as well as the people God has asked us to care for." page 33 Day 2, Provision

When I read this I immediately thought of the many people who provided provisions for me which allowed me to leave a domestic abusive marriage. Once it became clear I needed to leave the marriage, there were so many things to figure out, plan, do, and it all had to be done in secret. I had to tell a few people what was going on, so I could get help removing my irreplaceable items out of the house, get another job, and a place to live, since I was going to move three hours away when I left.

I had a long time friend offer to pay for a storage building to store my stuff, yet I could not take him up on the offer, because I lived in a small town and drove a marked law enforcement vehicle, as a law enforcement officer, and the vehicle would get noticed going in and out of the storage business, which would alert my abusive husband something was going on. Even though this offer did not work, God provided another option, provision. A co-worker and I were talking and God spoke to me saying, she is safe to tell what is going on in your life, tell her. After a few minutes, I did. I told her everything I had been dealing with for 5 years and about the storage building offer that I could not use. Her reply to me was, I have a three bedroom house and an extra bedroom, and you can put your stuff in there. I just about passed out from relief! I am so thankful I followed the prompting of God and told her. Provision-I was being cared for, God had provided. After this conversation, our plan was determined, each day when my husband left for work, I would load my patrol car with irreplaceable items, drive to work, and at the end of the work day, my co-worker would meet me across the street and I would load my items into her car. Once she was home, she unloaded my items into her extra bedroom. We ended up doing this for five months, the length of time it took me to work my escape plan. When I realized my husband was not noticing stuff was gone, I began to move other items, that I did not think would look too obvious they were gone. There are so many details I could share, and my co-worker keeps encouraging me to write a book about my escape. When I reflect on this time in my life, what I see are all the ways I was care for by others and all the provision I received!!!!

Once I settled into my new safe home and began to build my new life, I realized what I had been through was not just for me to survive and get through. God wanted me to share my story and experience to help others. I was cared for and going forward it would be time for me to care for others and that opportunity came about a year later. A long time friend told me about a female law enforcement officer who in an abusive marriage, and could she let her know about me so we could connect. I replied, yes, absolutely! In time, she and I met and God has allowed me to care for her in ways I never imagined! The biggest way is the heart connection we have for each other. She does not have to say a word to me, just us being together and I can understand her pain, I hurt with her and for her. We are still journeying together. With other people’s help she was able to get out of the house, when her husband was at work, and move into a place. Yet it became clear he would not stop stalking and harassing her using any means available, so she got a job four hours away, so she could move to be safe and free. When she was ready to move I helped her pack. Once she moved to her new home, I gladly drove the 4 hours to help her unpack and get settled into her new home. I wanted her to be settled in as soon as possible so she could work on building her new life. Simple things, unpacking all of her clothes and putting them in closets and drawers, getting her settled. When we went to dinner that night, she commented, the clothes she was wearing she had not seen in a year because they were just packed away in bags, since the last place she lived in-escaped to, she did not create a home and unpack everything. As a fellow survivor, I totally understood something as simple as clothes meant the world to her. It meant she was getting settled, God was providing for her, God had provided for me!
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Kimberly Kiefer