Gifts from God
Police were sent to a home in response to a report of domestic child abuse. When they arrived at the house, they found a scared four-year-old girl with a black eye, swollen cheek, and bruises covering a majority of her tiny frame. The officers were devastated when they asked her to say her name and she meekly replied, “Idiot.”
In the Details
Afriend opened up to me about the sexual abuse he suffered as a boy. Prompted by God to face what he had buried for decades, he courageously began to unpack tragic memories of seduction and exploitation, events that shattered his innocence and left him drowning in an ocean of shame.
to suffer alone
In a Downton Abbey episode, beloved housemaid Anna Bates is brutally raped. It was heart-wrenching to watch her try to keep it a secret. The head housekeeper, Mrs. Hughes, found Anna shortly after the assault—bruised, crying, and hiding in a corner. Despite the strong urgings of Mrs. Hughes, Anna told her to tell no one, not even her husband. She was not only afraid he would kill her assailant, but she also felt “dirty” and believed the attack was somehow her fault.
an innocent man
On April 15, 1865, family, physicians, and government officials crowded around the bedside of US President Abraham Lincoln. He was unconscious and close to death from an assassin’s fatal bullet.
saving little ones
Jenny” grew up in a home where both parents engaged in extramarital affairs and were prone to violence. In this setting, Jenny soon became emotionally and physically neglected—and vulnerable to others.
opportunity
A cave-in left 33 men trapped deep underground in a copper and gold mine in northern Chile. The men battled despair during the initial hours, when dust from the collapse choked their lungs and cloaked the mine in darkness. They barely hung on over the next 17 days as they prayed for someone to find them. And when they finally…
you choose Q: How can I love a close relative who is wicked and sees me as an instrument to obtain money?
Q: How can I love a very close relative of mine who is very wicked and sees me as an instrument for obtaining money? He is very cruel to me and I'm afraid of him because money is his only concern. —Grace
A: Hi, Grace. Thank you for writing! We are very glad to hear from you.
Many people mistake love…
verbal strikes
I grew up under the weight of a verbally abusive grandfather. To this day, years after his death, I still struggle with ramifications of things he said to me and how I responded.
During my teenage years, I took my grandfather’s endless criticism with a grain of salt and made every effort to respond to him in a gentle Christlike…
oscar for fathers
James Cameron, of Avatar and Titanic fame, has reportedly said, “Anybody can be a father or a husband. There are only five people in the world who can do what I do, and I’m going for that.”
It isn’t only Hollywood directors who succumb to the siren song of success. Clergymen also put ministry ahead of family. And even King David committed…
