A young girl in Wisconsin was essentially "sold" into slavery by her father to her new stepmother in a fetish contract. As part of her slave-like conditions, the stepmother starved, tortured and beat the girl—making her live in the family's basement. The 15 year old, weighing a mere 70 lbs, managed to escape and was found by a passing motorist last week. The family is now facing charges while she is in protective custody.
Maybe it was the interview with the motorist that found her that shook me. The man said he would pray for her, because he didn't think anyone else had. The suffering of an innocent while the world kept turning. Or maybe it was the eerie fetish contract between the parents that were suppose to protect her... These people were accountable for her, but broke her trust and spirit.
This whole thing has me sobbing and questioning God's allowance of human suffering. If God allows things to happen so that we may have free will, what of the innocent suffering that comes of destructive actions? How could a loving God allow such injustice?
After my ex walked away from our marriage and God, I began reading a book by Rob Bell called Love Wins. Stephen introduced me to Bell's books during a turbulent time (Will it ever NOT be turbulent?) when I was questioning Christian Orthodoxy. My mom's cancer, my divorce, some other personal and deep losses had me asking what "God's will" looks like sometimes. Bell's shorter answer is to propose that human beings bring about the suffering of this world and—ultimately the fiery judgment is all self imposed here and hereafter.
I don't know what I believe, but I know that one of the saddest lessons I've learned into adulthood is the realization that human beings have the capacity for great destruction. We live in a world that emphasizes self-gratification and being guided by our inner desires—never considering the wake of our actions. But, what if we all died to self and thought about other people more? What could that look like on even a small scale? It's in these times of reflection that I wonder how art could facilitate this change. I wonder how this could play out in my own life.
2 comments:
:( That is so so awful! I am struggling with the issue of suffering and pain, too. (And I was actually going to blog about it, too! I just feel like this struggle for me has gone on for too long....) I stand in awe of families like the Hunters who have lost so much and yet continue to praise Him and trust Him. It's so humbling. Even your mom, whose faith doesn't seem to have waivered....
It's an age old question, I know... and though dying to self sure would help a lot (a lot!!), there will still be things unanswered, of course....
Sigh. Anyway. I'm babbling. That's because I'm exhausted and can't think and I have no nappers in the house (speaking of dying to self, you think I'd have accepted that by now instead of turnig into Freak Out Girl. :/)
Okay. Going. ;)
-c
No nappers?! My poor friend needs a rest. We both should rest our heads and hearts from time to time, eh? ;)
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