Before I begin this post, I want to apologize if it ends up being rather disjointed. So many thoughts are flying through my head this morning, and it is impossible for me to organize them.
I've been involved in many debates regarding same-sex marriage. It seems to be one of the forerunners in hot button topics for Christians. A common argument for why homosexuality isn't a sin is that it is believed by many that homosexuals are born that way. The counter argument - and the one which angers me the most - it's believed pedophiles are born that way too. Do we just allow them to marry/have sex with children because it's in their genes?
There is such an enormous difference between two consenting same-sex adults engaged in a monogamous relationship, and an adult and a child engaged in a "relationship." Besides the fact that the child cannot consent, it is so insanely detrimental to the child's emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental development.
Imagine being a four year old, forced to sit on a man's lap as he slides his hand inside your pants. Imagine him touching you, fondling you. Imagine the confusion in your mind and the physical pain as he enters you. Imagine the guilt and shame and just plain dirtiness. Imagine the isolation and loneliness and destitution when you know you cannot tell anyone, or you do and no one believes you, or no one stops it. Imagine being a helpless child, at the mercy of someone several times larger and stronger than you. Imagine it being someone who is supposed to care for you and love you and protect you.
I've seen the reactions on people's faces when the topic of child sexual abuse comes up. I've seen them want to crawl into a hole and ignore that this kind of horror happens. I've heard them mutter something about God being with these children - that God will take care of them and comfort them.
How can a child ever believe such a thing when even the adults in his/her life don't show any care or comfort towards him/her?
How can we all sit idly by, arguing over all these other things (things which, ultimately, do not hurt anyone) and ignore the pain and darkness which lurk in the eyes of these children?
A couple years ago, our youth group participated in a fundraiser to provide pajamas and blankets to abused children. As an abuse survivor, this is one project I encourage fully (and wish we'd continue - openly and aggressively - in our community). But, unless you've been there - unless you've had that trust and innocence shattered - you cannot understand.You'll want to be one who would prefer to ignore that this horror exists. You'll want to just shove it under a rug. And so as a society, we do just that. We don't talk about it. We don't look at it. We don't address it.
God will take care of these children and comfort them. How exactly will He do this? It is through the Body of Christ that God helps the helpless, comforts the saddened, strengthens the frightened, provides a light in the darkness. We are that Body. We are the ones who are supposed to be reaching out. We are the ones who are supposed to be protecting the innocent, the oppressed, those without a voice.
Only together can we shatter the darkness.
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