I'm not a mother yet, but as I sit here, reading the words written by women (and men) sexually abused, I can't help but imagine a conversation with my future children if ever a tragedy as that should befall them.
My loves,
Wisdom is knowing when a situation is unsafe, but true freedom is something to enjoy, and while we may not always know what dangers lurk behind every corner, everyone has the right to believe they can go places and be with people and not fear suffering.
It is not your fault. You only have to say no once for it to matter, not 10 or 15 times, and if you aren't able to say no, for whatever reason, then rest assured that no is still the answer to the question they're hoping you won't respond to.
It is not love. They say most rape and abuse victims suffer at the hands of those known to them, which truly makes their sin even more abominable. "I love you" is not permission, "You owe me" is worth nothing, and "You asked for it" is the flimsiest of excuses for something they know is wrong.
It is not right. If anyone tries to tell you it is your fault, or that it's not what you thought it was, or that you're wrong, then they too are passive participants in this crime against you. If the police will not believe you, I will. If your friends call you names, I will be here, ready to stand against them on your behalf. If the one you love abandons you, I won't, I will run to you and hold you in my arms and do my best to take your pain away.
No matter what is done, no matter who does it, if you do not want it, it is rape. If you are made to feel unsafe, unloved, and ugly, then all fault is in the ones who dared trespass on a gift that can only be given, never taken.
The full extent of the law would never seem enough for the ones who love you, who would trek the entirety of the earth to find the one who hurt you and bring them to justice. For every day you suffer, so should they suffer in the knowledge of your torment for a lifetime.
You are beautiful. You are strong. You are not alone. You are not a slut.
You can be raped as a woman, and also as a man, so never doubt yourself.
I will love you always.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Reaching Across The Aisle
A lot of people would say I'm right-wing, but I believe in a balanced life. Sometimes I read things my fellow Christians are up to, and it makes me a bit sad.
It makes me sad that as believers in a God of love, we seem to have a hard time sharing it. It makes me sad that as a people who are supposed to love others, we rarely are able to identify those who need our love, His love, the most.
I read a few articles about Muslims in the U.S. who are trying to "impose" their beliefs (or Sharia law) on others who don't see things as they do. One was a cab driver who said it was considered haram, or sinful, to transport a blind man's dog with him, according to the Quran. So many people were outraged that such foreign beliefs like this were being pushed in the "land of the free", but some of those same people were backing up Christians who refused service to gay or lesbian couples for their weddings because they considered it to be contradictory to the beliefs and actions they felt were exemplary of Christ.
Every person has to find within themselves the line they will not cross, the moment when the executioner's ax, the pink slip, or the mockery is worth it when compared to the betrayal of one's deepest beliefs. But when that line cuts into the hearts of the lost, is it a line drawn too far, or too late?
"I can not participate in so sinfully blatant an event as (insert it here), as it would go against my beliefs and possibly jeopardize my eternal soul."
But what about their souls?
Missionaries don't just go to the places they want to share the Gospel, they immerse themselves into it completely. They learn the local language and culture, forsake all known comforts and luxuries for the sake of ingratiating themselves with those they want to reach. Often we picture them camped out in some Amazonian jungle, or in a reed shack in the ghettos of India, but I challenge that every believer is a missionary, from the darkest, dingiest corner of a brothel in Addis Ababa to the penthouse of Trump Tower.
We are all called to share the love of Christ, and "go forth and make disciples of all people", including (and especially) those we think "deserve" it the "least".
In John 9, a blind man was brought before Jesus, and the question of whether this man was being punished for sins he or his parents committed was posed. It was a belief that those suffering physical ailments were being punished by God for their sins, or the "sins of their fathers". Instead of pointing to this or that thing the man had done wrong, Jesus turned the focus on how it was for the glory of God, and the furtherance of His love.
Rather than condemning the man and wanting nothing to do with him, he took the time and effort to bring new light into the man's life, giving him sight. That man went on to tell others, including his own parents, of the loving act Jesus did for him, and everyone who met him saw an obvious and profound difference in his life, which he never failed to credit to Jesus.
Baking a cake, or capturing moments at a wedding could be the "eye-opener" for someone that could make all the difference in their life, particularly their eternal life. It may be out of your comfort zone, but think of it as a missionary experience, your "trek into the jungle" in the first world.
Whatever you do, do it in love, and remember that that "wicked sinner" you want nothing to do with is as much in need of grace and love as you yourself once were (and still are), and that even the smallest act of kindness could be the foot in the door of their life for Christ to walk in.
It makes me sad that as believers in a God of love, we seem to have a hard time sharing it. It makes me sad that as a people who are supposed to love others, we rarely are able to identify those who need our love, His love, the most.
I read a few articles about Muslims in the U.S. who are trying to "impose" their beliefs (or Sharia law) on others who don't see things as they do. One was a cab driver who said it was considered haram, or sinful, to transport a blind man's dog with him, according to the Quran. So many people were outraged that such foreign beliefs like this were being pushed in the "land of the free", but some of those same people were backing up Christians who refused service to gay or lesbian couples for their weddings because they considered it to be contradictory to the beliefs and actions they felt were exemplary of Christ.
Every person has to find within themselves the line they will not cross, the moment when the executioner's ax, the pink slip, or the mockery is worth it when compared to the betrayal of one's deepest beliefs. But when that line cuts into the hearts of the lost, is it a line drawn too far, or too late?
"I can not participate in so sinfully blatant an event as (insert it here), as it would go against my beliefs and possibly jeopardize my eternal soul."
But what about their souls?
Missionaries don't just go to the places they want to share the Gospel, they immerse themselves into it completely. They learn the local language and culture, forsake all known comforts and luxuries for the sake of ingratiating themselves with those they want to reach. Often we picture them camped out in some Amazonian jungle, or in a reed shack in the ghettos of India, but I challenge that every believer is a missionary, from the darkest, dingiest corner of a brothel in Addis Ababa to the penthouse of Trump Tower.
We are all called to share the love of Christ, and "go forth and make disciples of all people", including (and especially) those we think "deserve" it the "least".
In John 9, a blind man was brought before Jesus, and the question of whether this man was being punished for sins he or his parents committed was posed. It was a belief that those suffering physical ailments were being punished by God for their sins, or the "sins of their fathers". Instead of pointing to this or that thing the man had done wrong, Jesus turned the focus on how it was for the glory of God, and the furtherance of His love.
Rather than condemning the man and wanting nothing to do with him, he took the time and effort to bring new light into the man's life, giving him sight. That man went on to tell others, including his own parents, of the loving act Jesus did for him, and everyone who met him saw an obvious and profound difference in his life, which he never failed to credit to Jesus.
Baking a cake, or capturing moments at a wedding could be the "eye-opener" for someone that could make all the difference in their life, particularly their eternal life. It may be out of your comfort zone, but think of it as a missionary experience, your "trek into the jungle" in the first world.
Whatever you do, do it in love, and remember that that "wicked sinner" you want nothing to do with is as much in need of grace and love as you yourself once were (and still are), and that even the smallest act of kindness could be the foot in the door of their life for Christ to walk in.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)