This crazy, messed up world needs a hug

Well, I just finished talking with a girl who (for lack of better words) is addicted to being beaten. I can’t say I ever would have imagined that I would someday find myself in that sort of conversation. Here’s the story. This client came to our social work office one day after just having been hit by her husband outside our center. She came to us fearful for her life because he beats her every day and has tried to kill multiple times before. She said she was too afraid to go back home and wanted to find somewhere else to stay that night. We found a safe place for her, where she has been living since Monday. One of our social workers and I went to the house today to check up on her and see how she was doing. We weren’t really sure what the true story was because we were getting a very different story from her than from what she told the woman who runs that house. Pretty much, she needs lots of money for some debt, the source of which seemed to change every time we talked to her. After lots of asking questions and thinking we might have some semblence of a legitimate story, we asked her if she wants to stay at that house.

She said she wants to go back to her husband. She misses him. Okay, I know that happens often and we have seen many cases of that before in our other clients. Girls will go back to their partners who beat them, strangle them, burn their children – just so they can have someone to provide for them (or just eat their food) and to have a partner. That’s really important in this culture. But then we reminded her of how afraid she was when she first came to us and told us that she wanted to get away from her husband. We reminded her of the beatings she got every day.

She said all that is worth it, as long as she can be back with him. She said she WANTS to be that scared again – to fear for her life.

I just don’t understand. I don’t understand how someone can DESIRE to be beaten, especially by a man who currently has at least 2 other partners and has sold one of his children already, so it’s not like she can even pretend he is doing it out of uncontrollable love for her (which is the reason some men give). She somehow feels love through their fights and make-ups. It’s like she views love as “making-up”. That’s what love is to her – saying you are so sorry, even though you know it will happen again tomorrow. What a twisted messed up idea of love!

We sat there and prayed for her – prayed that God would open her eyes to His incredible love, to break the stronghold of addiction and messed up love that Satan has on her and her husband, and to show her the beauty of TRUTH. I so desire for her to know Jesus because to me, her life sounds like hell. If I could imagine hell, it would be something like her life (except devoid of any joy or beauty). And I think I might be pretty close because Satan has her wrapped around his finger, believing all of his disgusting, evil, and demonic lies. Oh, how grateful I am for the redeeming love and freedom we have in the victory of Christ over death and sin.

Precious Jesus, I thank You for bringing us Truth, Love, Freedom, Victory over darkness. Thank You for being all of those things. And right now I just lift up this client to You. I lay her at Your feet, covered in my tears of sorrow for how Satan has decieved her. I ask that You open up her eyes to You and Your compassionate, everlasting love. I don’t know how to express this mixture of sorrow, and anger, and love, and abounding joy I am feeling right now. But thankfully, You know it.  This is not my worry or my burden to carry. She is at Your feet and I will continue to bring her to Your feet. Jesus, please hug her. 

Bring Your beautiful Kingdom to this twisted world in the grasp of sin.

Jesus, hug this crazy messed up world.