How do you recover after domestic violence?

I take part in a writing exercise through 5 Minute Friday. Each week we receive a word. We have 5 minutes to write on that topic and then post our work, unedited. The word for this week is: Recover.

How does one recover after escaping domestic violence? What if you are just fifteen years old? I am middle-aged now but from 13 to 15 years old; I was in an abusive relationship. My quest for a stable life led me to a relationship I could not handle. I found myself in trouble and alone. I thought I was so good at hiding my plight, but people knew. That hurt the most. People knew and left me, a child, to flail in deep waters. I used to pray without ceasing, "Please make him stop hitting me." But here is the thing. Had he stopped hitting me, I would never have left.

"When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives." James 4:3

One day, after a harsh public beating and humiliation, I changed my prayer. "God, please get me out of this?" The answer was near immediate. I escaped, or better yet, was set free. God sent people into my life who showed me love and acceptance like I had never known. That is where recovery began. It continues still. I will always be grateful to God for putting Jim and Vicki Smith in my path. Through them, God rescued me in more ways than one. I went on to help domestic violence victims later in life. That is how you recover. You help those who are in the thick of what you escaped. Recover.