Remembering Those Suffering

Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

October is National Domestic Violence Month. For many years, Eastridge has participated in the Friendship Home Safe Quarters drive. This program asks teams in the community to gather and walk door to door collecting change for women in need of a safe place to stay. Statistically, women are at greatest risk of violence and death from their domestic partner within the first few weeks of leaving. 

Nearly all of us know someone who has been abused in a relationship. The good friend in high school whose boyfriend was jealous and paranoid and didn’t want her to be around anyone but him. The family member whose husband is overbearing, threatening and a bully. The colleague whose wife disrupts his work with screaming matches and threats. The woman at church who comes every week with her kids, sitting in a pew and begging God to protect her family. 

All of these people are scared, and all of them need your prayers, your support, your understanding. It seems so simple to tell someone to leave their abuser, but the person in that position knows, with all their heart, that this will be a dangerous, life changing decision. Do not discount their fear. They may be the only ones who truly know what their partner is capable of. If they leave and return, the abuser will have something new to bring to the fight and they will know that the victim will come back to them. If they leave and know that they will never go back, they are risking their life to be free. It’s not just a break-up, it’s not just a divorce, it is a plan to leave a hostage situation. 

This October, examine the relationships that you have. Are you being abused?  Do you have a good friend who is in a dangerous relationship? Do you know that someone is being abused? What can you do to help them be courageous?  What can you do to save someone else’s life? Certainly we can all give a little change for that… 

Prayer: God, who knows all our fears and pains, be with those who are abused and afraid.  Help us to be watchful and mindful of the experiences of those around us and to support and protect them.  Help us all find a place in our prayers for others who are suffering.    

Christi Moock