Awareness, Alliances & Abuse
This piece has been on my heart for a while and following the beginnings of a new wave of abuse, I decided to capture the essence of the dark side of rescue, as forewarned is forearmed.
And you do need to arm yourself against such attacks as they are vicious.
You would think that rescue attracts the best people, those who really care about life, with deep wells of compassion and hearts as big as the Ocean, and it does.
But contrary to popular belief, these people are few and far between and instead, animal rescue is littered and plagued by bullies, narcissists, sociopaths and psychopaths who seem to take pleasure in attempting to destroy you.
They band together, their attacks are unwarranted, unmerited and underhand and no matter what you say or how well you say it, their ears and eyes are sealed shut, their hearts are stone and by their fruit you will recognise them. (Matthew 7:16)
Abstinence & Apostolic Faith
This morning, when I checked my latest fundraising Facebook post, which had attracted the attention of the circling sharks, I decided to do things differently.
I used to engage and feel the need to prove myself, but after 8 years of animal rescue, having given my life to the cause, and everything I have, including my bank account, my heart and my home, I've realised that I no longer need to do this, particularly when it has zero effect, wastes my time and takes me away from the animals I am here to serve.
This time, I deleted the comments and blocked the perpetrators, refusing to engage, and then the words "abuse, abstinence and apostolic faith" came to me, and I knew this was God speaking.
In that moment, I realised the power of disengaging and in an act of radical defiance, I decided to shine my light even brighter and raise my banner to the LORD even higher.
No weapon formed against me will prevail and I will refute every tongue that accuses me (Isaiah 54:17), I rebuke every scheme of the enemy and I declare and decree that what the enemy uses to curse, God will use to bless.
Character, Content & Context
I'm constantly amazed at the total inability of these people to discern fact from fiction and I can only imagine that this is a result of being blinded by hate, fear, pride, ego and everything that is negative.
These people are all the same, their arrogance precedes them and they spew vitriol at such an alarming pace that it prevents them from being able to see or think clearly and this quickly spirals into assumptions, misjudgement and abuse.
Because they haven't heard of you or you aren't a registered NPO, which is not a requirement, and regardless of the fact that you have years of experience, countless examples of your rescue missions, stories and placements and extensive history in the public domain, they are completely unable to discern the content of your character.
The beast inside of them is so ravenous that they appear to have no choice but to try and destroy any flicker of light in someone else in a bid to keep that which feeds them alive, regardless of the fact that this causes the animals to suffer as they steal your time, energy and resources, all the while completely unaware that this same beast is ultimately destroying them.
And so, the only way to deal with such ferocious attacks, is to fly in the face of the demonic oppression and delusion they are under, refuse to let it touch you and rip it out at the root.
A Place For Checks & Balances
There is definitely a place for checks and balances as there are far too many people who give dogs away without checking credentials and this can result in abuse, neglect and a whole host of devastating consequences including being used as bait dogs or in fighting rings.
But, would-be accusers must exercise due diligence before making up stories, creating wild assumptions that are based in fiction and not fact and digging a little deeper before attempting to destroy reputations, relationships and really good hearts.
This is a duty of care that most reasonable people would willingly and rightfully undertake, but my experience shows that these people do not care, and the vast majority of abuse in animal rescue is carried out by the very people who are supposed to be in positions of trust, which is perpetrated on both animals and people alike.
There needs to be a serious system of recompense for people who waste valuable resources by carelessly throwing around accusations that are not based in truth, to make them think twice and prevent them from damaging good people unfairly and unnecessarily, without good cause.
People must be held accountable and bullying, abuse, threatening behaviour, slander and defamation of character are all criminal offences that can be prosecuted by law, and we mustn't think twice about taking them to task.
Defiance, Disengaging & Disarming
For these reasons, it is critical to exercise the utmost care to protect the privacy of ourselves, our animals and our supporters.
It's hard to believe that the very people who are supposed to be advocating for the animals are capable of such devastating acts of harm, but I have never experienced an industry that is so rife with hate, wickedness and cruelty as that of animal rescue.
It's a paradox that is hard to understand, but makes complete sense once you realise that vulnerable souls attract weak bullies who can only feel powerful when they are preying on those less fortunate than themselves.
The only way to deal with bullies is to stand in defiance against them by being the absolute best you can be, see them for what they are and know that they cannot harm you, then shake the dust from your feet and walk away, refusing to allow them to take away your focus on what's truly important - which is your mission and not them.
Then, bar the doors, build a moat and do not give the devil a foothold.
The Glory of Man v The Glory of God
Every post I write, every inspired action I take and every act of obedience I humble myself to is guided by the Holy Spirit.
Either I'm a brilliant con artist or I really am who I say I am and I really do what I say I do and again, by their fruits you will recognise them.
Bearing in mind that the devil can only destroy and not create, is death and not life and feeds off lies and not truth, the Source I draw from is obvious to those with eyes to see and ears to hear.
Sadly, animal rescue attracts people who enjoy the perceived power they feel they have over another living soul, and this is contrary to the privilege and honour it is to truly serve another and the responsibility that goes with that.
All of these people are driven by ego, a state of being that edges God out, seeking only glory and power, talking a big game but having the ability to do very little and failing to realise that all of the grace, blessings and mercy that is poured out is wholly owing to the glory of God, not man.
There Is No Money In Rescue
Those who engage in real rescue know that there is no money in it, it is an act of love and service, a calling and a mantle that you carry because of the extreme need that without you, would result in suffering and death.
10 years ago, before I rescued animals, I earned as much as R10,000 a day and I have the capability to earn ten times that, but now, not only do I earn R0 from rescue, but I PAY vast amounts of money to rescue and re-home dogs, cats and any other animal that crosses my path, I can spend thousands on one animal in a heartbeat, have spent as much as tens of thousands on one cat and must have easily spent into the millions.
It's easy to rack up massive costs which are necessary to fund transport, food, vet bills, sterilisations, vaccines, flea and tick and worming treatment, boarding fees, staff costs, phone calls, WiFi, accommodation, building materials, electric, gas, the list goes on.
Rescue is not something that people choose, it's something you find yourself pulled into and real rescuers, those who will go to extreme lengths to stand for life, who will put all of their own money on the line and give up every space in their house to save lives, are very rare.
For this reason, we must protect ourselves and our animals with every fibre of our being, against those who seek to cause harm and we must not hesitate to stand against them in any way that is necessary, in the knowledge that God is on the side of righteousness and justice.
Shepherds of God's Flock
We are to be shepherds of God's flock that is under our care, watching over them-not because we must, but because we are willing, as God wants us to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to us, but being examples to the flock. (1 Peter 5:2-3)
When we are truly doing good work, we must be alert and of sober mind as our enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8) and will try every trick in the book to try and take us off our course.
We must anticipate his arrival and meet him with a wall of fire, a hedge of protection and a burning desire to take the victory that is rightfully ours, by force.
God is love, but He is also an agent of war who will bring down on the enemies heads the gavel they set for others and we must resist him, standing firm in the faith and the God of all grace, will restore us and make us strong, firm and steadfast. (1 Peter 5:9-10)
To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 5:11)
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