Prayers are Needed All Around

A strange situation has come to light. I wrote about my friend some time ago - how her husband had confessed that he had been molesting children. A few days ago at work, a co-worker mentioned to me that she will be in court on the day my daughter is scheduled for surgery. Her son had been sexually abused and the offender will be sentenced on Thursday. A little more conversation confirmed what I feared - it is my friend who is her son's abuser. So, I felt caught between friends. Feeling intense sympathy for the child who was abused, and deeply understanding the mother's pain and anger at the abuse heaped upon her child. Feeling intense sympathy for my friends, the abuser and the wife, whose lives are forever changed. I'm unsure how best to show Jesus to my co-worker, whose hurt and anger understandably run deep. I can understand the pain, the betrayal, the desire for revenge. But, I also understand the hurt and betrayal my friend is feeling, and the despair of knowing all the things she thought she had in her marriage are gone. What does she have to look forward to? And what of my other friend? How frightened is he, as he faces the life of a child predator in prison? How long will his life even be?

Please pray for these families, and the others of the victims whose names I do not know. Pray for God's healing mercies and grace to touch hearts with forgiveness, even as He forgives us. Pray for the children who have been wounded. Pray for their healing. Pray for their futures. Pray for Grace for everyone.