We Can’t Turn Away

As with any child sexual abuse story, it’s difficult to stomach the details. In fact, when the latest news stories came out this week (the Penn State Board of Trustees tell all…and the interview with Joe Paterno), my first response was to turn away.

It’s just so hard to make sense of it all. I certainly didn’t want to go back through the details that emerged when the case originally broke. I’m not sure any of us want to. We hear so many stories of young lives shattered by sin and violence, it’s easy to tune them out.

But we need to pay attention and allow ourselves to be stirred. I want my heart to remain bothered and broken for the young lives shattered as a result of this man’s alleged abuse.

I also want to remember that no organization, community, or even family is immune. The reality is one in every four young girls and one in every six boys will be sexually molested before their 18th birthday. These could be children in our churches, our neighborhoods, and even our families.

We can’t turn away. Instead, we must be people of faith who stand in the gap, both physically and spiritually for those who need our protection. Let these stories inspire us to remain diligent and prayerful for the children we love.

Photo by D Sharon Pruitt/Pink Sherbet Photograph