19 November 2023
TRAPPED IN WORDS
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Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Ephesians 4: 29, Recommend reading full text, 4:29 - 32)
On 1st January 2021, news broke out that a 16-year-old young lady in her 12th grade at Lunga Day Secondary School in Mwinlunga had committed suicide after her mother confronted her about stealing three new pants which belonged to her mother in the Northwestern part of Zambia. It was reported that after many investigations, the three pants were found in her mother’s bag. According to the story, the writer narrated that the words used on this young lady were very hurtful, prompting her to commit suicide. It was possible that she had been going through mental abuse, which is another form of gender-based violence that is not given much attention as a form of abuse undergone by most of the youth, women and to some extent by men. The hurtful words could have been part of her daily life which made her feel trapped in them, and at this point, she could not take it anymore. It is easier to notice physical abuse than mental abuse, which many go unnoticed.
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sundays with cwm 2023