Abuse

The last few weeks have opened my eyes to the amount of abuse that goes on.

Some of it is so blatant and open. Next door to the JSK office is a small flour mill. The miller seems to specialise in beating his sons. Sometimes it is with a stick. Sometimes with some plastic piping. It seems every 3rd day we have to walk over and try and stop the man from hitting his kids. Then sometimes we see that it is his wife who is doing it. Yesterday some other young man was there. The boys have internalised the wailing to such an extent that I have even seen them do it when playing. So much brokeness.

Some of the abuse is hidden. A touch here. A grope there. A young girl on holiday with relatives. Touched and violated. A young boy at a marriage party - people sleeping cheek by jowl - at night men touching him and feeling him out. The shame and secrecy keeping everything under wraps.

Sort of. What gets pushed under the carpet shows up over and over again. Unhealthy patterns of behaviour. Strange disease patterns. Broken relationships.

Its not that we are a slave to the past, but what went on certainly does affect who we are today.

As sickening as abuse is, there is hope. Truth, love, care and compassion - all part of God's love for us - are available. We see that the very worst experiences can be dealt with. No easy solutions or quick fixes - but they can be changed. Forgiveness - that unimaginable act - made possible by a loving, caring Father - lays the foundation for change.

Very few of us are able to open up. Very few can look long at the horrors that lurk beneath the veneer of much of our lives. One man stretched out his arms willingly. He allowed the nails to rip through flesh and sinew as he took on both the pain of the victim - and the punishment of the aggressor. I may not have the ability to help a victim of abuse. But He can. And He does. We have seen it - and want to see more and more healing take place.

"Daughter. Go in peace"