Jesus has come to heal the broken hearted

As an only child, one of my favorite things to do was to go to my cousin's house. On one occasion, I can still remember playing hide and seek in the dark.  The excitement left me breathless as I hurried to find the best hiding place. I could feel my heart pound with anticipation at the thought of being caught at any moment. Alone in the dark I waited, when suddenly, I felt a hand upon my shoulder.  Expecting to find one of my cousins behind me, I was shocked to see my uncle standing there, as if to say, "I got you".  His hands touched me in a way that felt uncomfortable and I knew that something was very wrong.  Who would ever have thought that my favorite childhood memory would become my worst nightmare.

This incident was the beginning of a long pattern of sexual abuse by my uncle.  I was seven years old.  Every time I was dropped off at my cousin's house, my uncle would come near.  I would try to get away from him, but he would always find me and take me to his "private" place.

At night, when my parents were tucking me into bed, I would long to tell my mom and dad what was happening.  If only I could whisper in my mommy's ear and say, "please don't take me back to that terrible place".  But the thought of confessing was quickly overtaken by the sound of my uncle's voice echoing in my ears.  "If you tell your parents, I will kill them".  As my heart pounded and quivered, I would simply say, "good night", and cry myself to sleep.

Heartache comes in all sorts of packages. Do you or someone you know have deep wounds that are keeping you from the joy, peace and freedom that Christ has in store? Learn how to be Healed and Set Free!

Love,