Silent Tears

The Sandusky case at the University of Penn State has once ago put a national spotlight on victims of child molesting, rape and incest. It has brought to light what many survives of these heinous acts continue to deal with in their adult life.

For many victims of child molesting, rape and incest it is a silent struggle. It is one where the victim feels like no one else understands the pain and violation they feel. Like it has only happen to them! Sadly hundreds of thousands are being molested, rape and incest all over the globe each day. What further saddens this issue in our world is that the offenders are people the victims trusted in some way.

Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network (RAINN) reports that in the United States: "Every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted. Every year, there are about 207, 754 victims of sexual assault."

I wish I could tell you this is a new thing but sadly it is not. We can open the Word of God and see that even then sexual predators where walking the earth. The story of Dinah (Genesis 34), Tamar (2 Samuel 1) and the woman who is brutal raped, can all be found in the Word. I know many asked the question, “Why does God allow these kinds of things to happen?”

I myself asked that very question of God. Why did he allow me to be molested? Where was God and why did it He protect me? I was only twelve years old. To be perfectly honest, after asking these questions for nearly 18 years, I still do not have the answer. However, I do have peace with what happen to me on that night so many years ago in my bedroom. The night a family friend thought it was okay to first invade my private space, then violate and take something so precious from me that was not his to take. But God has healed my wounds, He has loved me pass that pain. He has given me strength to share my story with others. He has also given me the strength to forgive the man who molested me.

As hard as it was I have forgive him for what he did to me that night and the things that happened as a result of what he did to me. The struggle with being molested, rape or a victim of incest is that it extends beyond that encounter. It goes with you into relationships with other people. You begin to look at others with a cloud of suspicious. Wondering if this person going to hurt me too. When you do not deal with what happen to you, it effect’s the way you live and how you react to situations.

For me, I begin to think my worth was nothing more than sexual. That all men would ever what from me was sex. I thought if people could just take it from me, “why don’t I beat them to the punch”. So, I begin having sex as a teenager. Not understanding fully that my action stem solely from the one encounter. It was an encounter I kept to myself for many years, until a situation forced me to tell my brother and cousin what happen to me.

For those who hold that secret like I did for years without telling my parents or anyone, we deal with the burden of carrying that weight all by ourselves. Something we do not have to do.  To those who have never shared your story with anyone else. I beg and plead with you to tell someone you trust and seek help. You cannot continue to carry that weight around with you. It is hard I know but God will see you through this. I know He did it for me! It took some years but He as He promised turned my ashes into beauty.

Please remember it is not your fault. It is nothing you did wrong. Leave the blame at the foot of the person who molested or raped you. That is not your burden to carry at all. It is their issue and I believe God will deal with them one way or the other. While the man who molested me is not in jail for what he did to me, he is there for the rest of his life, for another crime. Locked away so that he cannot hurt anything little girl.

For more information please check out http://www.rainn.org/ or call 1-800-656-HOPE.

Prayer: God I pray that you would bring peace to every person who has been violated by a molester, rapists or someone they trusted. I prayer Your peace and comfort into their lives. Those who are still holding on to anger, give them the strength to let it go, so the real healing process can begin. Lord, Tamar and Dinah brothers dealt with those who harm them. God I ask that you would deal with those who have harmed Your children. For God you said “I will defend your cause and avenge you.” I ask that you would do so for every victim as you heal them from the pain that was inflicted upon them. In Jesus Name Amen!