I had the honor on my radio show today of interviewing Charmagne Helton, who has quite a story to tell about her personal victory over domestic abuse. If you didn't catch it on the radio, here's where you can hear the whole thing in full.
We had Charmagne on the show as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which is happening now. But let's recognize that domestic violence happens all year. And one part of Charmagne's testimony that really struck me was idea that she couldn't be a "battered woman" because she was college-educated and successful in her career.
Clearly there's a stereotype that this only happens to, for lack of a better term, "certain kinds of women." But that's not true. It can happen to anyone, and thank God for Charmagne's decision to ultimately seek help and protection for her and her children.
No one has the right to treat another person abusively, and no one who is being treated this way had an obligation to stay and put up with it. Abusers are often as brutal psychologically as they are physically, and they manage to make the victim think she deserves the way she's being treated.
No. No one does. And no one who truly loves you would ever abuse you.
I hope Charmagne's interview will serve as inspiration for others who need help to get it, and for those who need to walk out of a bad situation to do so. The most important thing is probably for you to realize that it's not your fault, that you don't deserve it and that you don't have to put up with it.
Charmagne's abuser was convicted and served time for his crimes. Today she is financially independent of him, has full custody of their two children and has no idea what he's doing. I'd say that's for the best. She's made a clean break and she'd doing great.
So it is possible. If you need it to happen in your life too, please take that first step. You really can be free. And you deserve to be free.
I had the honor on my radio show today of interviewing Charmagne Helton, who has quite a story to tell about her personal victory over domestic abuse. If you didn't catch it on the radio, here's where you can hear the whole thing in full.
We had Charmagne on the show as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which is happening now. But let's recognize that domestic violence happens all year. And one part of Charmagne's testimony that really struck me was idea that she couldn't be a "battered woman" because she was college-educated and successful in her career. 
