A note from Kelly King: Do you need to take the leap in 2020? It’s a great question Kaye Hurta asks in today’s article. Like many of you, I’m still considering all the possibilities of a new year, and there are goals I would like to achieve in the coming months. Maybe you need a little extra help in taking that leap. If so, look through Kaye’s list and consider how you can find the help you need today to have a better tomorrow.
This year, 2020 is a leap year. A leap year is a calendar year containing an additional day. February 29 to be exact. Apparently this is done to keep the calendar year in sync with the seasonal or astronomical year. It’s all too sciencey for me. What I do love about a leap year is the added day to do something extraordinary! Last year a dear friend of mine chose as her guiding word for the year: “leap.” Everything we talked about had this idea of taking the leap associated with it. I would like to extend the invitation to leap to you this leap year. I have something very specific in mind I would like us all to leap toward.
The invitation for us all is to take the leap this year to get help. If I were to ask you, “Where or in what area of your life (consider body, soul, and spirit) do you need help?” How would you answer that? Go ahead and jot down your answer or answers (for me it’s multiple areas!). The next question is, “What is one thing you can do to take the leap toward being healthy or getting help?” May I encourage you at the beginning of a new decade to take the leap? Let this be the year you get help, see a doctor, talk to a counselor, take a class, join a group, find a recovery group, read the book. Whatever it is that is the next step for getting help, do it. The help helps.
Not sure where to start? Here are some helpful resources to get you started.
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 (TTY 800-787-3224), thehotline.org (look for local hotline in your area).
- Elder abuse hotline: 1-800-252-8966
- If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please call 911 or the National Suicide Hotline at 800-273-8255.
- If you are in a crisis pregnancy situation, there is a help line. Call 800-395-HELP (4357).
- National Human Trafficking Resource Center: Text: BeFree (233733) to 1-888-373-7888 or visit traffickingresourcecenter.org
- Calebministries.org offers help for women dealing with infertility, miscarriage, or stillbirth.
- Cleaningforareason.org provides free monthly cleaning for women undergoing chemotherapy.
- Ccef.org provides for purchase mini booklets on various topics (e.g., anger, depression, abuse, suicide, etc.)
- Celebraterecovery.com: Celebrate Recovery is a biblically-based recovery program for those struggling with hurts, habits, and hang-ups. You can also visit: christians-in-recovery.org
- Surrenderingthesecret.com: resources and ministry for those who have had abortions.
- Griefshare.org is a biblically-based program for those suffering a loss.
- Divorcecare.org: Weekly support group for those going through a divorce, also Dc4k.org (for kids) and singleandparenting.org (for single parents).
This is not an exhaustive list, but I hope it gets you started in the right direction. Go ahead and take the leap. It’s just the year to do it!
Kaye Hurta has a Masters Degree in counseling from Liberty University and is a crisis counselor for Women’s Events through Lifeway Christian Resources. Whether speaking, singing, or listening, Kaye’s passion is to help others find intimacy with Christ and soul transformation through the living pages of His Word. Kaye met and married her husband Chris in Austin, Texas in 1987. They have two daughters through the miracle of adoption, Madison and Cami. Kaye is also a contributing author for the Lifeway resource, Women Reaching Women in Crisis.