April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. I thought about posting some statistics about how prevalent child abuse is in our nation and world, but instead I will make this statement: the abuse of even one child is too much abuse.
Yesterday I meditated on Psalm 5 which was in the lectionary. I decided to rewrite it to reflect those who have survived child abuse.
Give ear to my words, O Lord;
give heed to my sighing.
Listen to the sound of my cry,
my Love and my God,
for to you I pray.
O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case to you and watch.
For you are not a God who delights in sexual abuse;
evil will not sojourn with you.
The perpetrators will not stand before your eyes;
you hate all molestation.
You destroy those who speak lies;
the Lord abhors the predators and deceitful.
But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
will enter your house,
I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.
Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemy,
make straight my path.
For there is no truth in his mouth;
his heart is destruction;
his throat an open grave;
he flatters with his tongue.
Make him bear his guilt, O God;
let him fall by his own counsel;
because of his many transgressions, cast him out,
for he has rebelled against you.
But let all abuse survivors take refuge in you and rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them,
so that those who love your name may exult in you.
For you bless the righteous, O Lord;
you cover them with favor as with a shield.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment