Just think of stepping on shore – and finding it heaven.
Of touching a hand --- and finding it God’s
Of breathing new air – and finding it celestial,
Of waking up in glory --- and finding it home.
Finally Home by Don Wyrtzen.
None of us who have been raised in safety and love can fathom what it means to be rescued out of abuse and arrive one day in a place where you are safe. Of touching a hand and finding it holds comfort instead of pain. Hearing kind words, instead of violent, vulgar ones.
We have two new girls at Darius House who are 15 and 17. These sisters had been held captive by their own father who had sexually abused them for as long as they can remember. He kept them from attending school, and so they are illiterate. They had no friends, only each other.
Imagine being a slave and waking up free.
Imagine being in a long, dark tunnel of abuse and waking up in the light.
Imagine tasting fresh, sweet food after existing on rubbish.
Imagine living in the stench of a ‘prison’ and waking up in a garden.
Darius House is not Glory. I am, obviously, not drawing an analogy to the heavenly shore. But when I ponder what it will be like one day – the contrast of going from a fallen world to a perfectly restored one - it helps me imagine the transformation these sisters have experienced.
All of our Darius House kids have suffered in varying degrees. Every story you hear breaks your heart. And some stories are unknown, locked inside a child without words to explain. But as for the sisters, we know their suffering. And it is unimaginable. You can see it etched on their faces. Time, God’s love, and specialists, educators, and loving caregivers at RCE will heal some of their wounds. Not all. But some. The girls are ‘home’ now, and we will keep them safe. We will, with God’s help, give them a future of dignity and hope, living in our residential community.
The Scriptures are filled with references to God’s compassion and tenderness for the brokenhearted. He sent his Son for all of us and He sends us to those in need, to lift the burden from the heavy laden, and to set the captives free.