September 2013 Newsletter

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I Needed A Safe Place

Becky has an excellent work history in the midst of an otherwise turbulent life. Thus far at 30 years of age, employment has been a great source of security and confidence. She said, “Work is stabilizing. I bury myself in my work, and I don’t have to think about the problems in life.” She arrived at the Mission’s Samaritan Inn for women and children with a job and she will leave with a job. She has a strong work ethic and sense of independence to provide for herself.

However, codependent or otherwise unhealthy relationships mark her past. A need to be accepted put an imbalance to her other responsible behavior. She has a maturity for holding a job, but an undeveloped means of building sound relationships.

The last place Becky lived seemed innocent enough at first. She had met and old friend from high school. She needed an affordable place to live; he had a room at his place. How could that be as bad as any of the nightmarish roommates, relationships or abuses of the past? It was the worst. Not only did he have severe personal issues that brought the police around, he wanted more out of the relationship than she did. Her conclusion was, “I needed a safe place.”

Becky needed hope, but she did not trust God in whom is all hope. She was angry at God for allowing all the bad things to happened in her life. Here she discovered where the fault really belongs. She shifted her blame of God to our sinful human condition. The truth was revealed to her of God’s great love for us that He gave us the awesome gift of free will to choose good or evil. Being the victim of someone else’s free will choice does not mean that God loves her any less. God loves the victimizer as well as the victim and wants both to turn to Him for their salvation.

Becky repented, turned toward God, acknowledged God’s loving presence had been right there beside her all along. She said, “I was baptized at 13, but no one told me that I had to surrender. Now, I let God in and let go of the anger. I can’t do it myself. I can’t drive my life anymore. You, Lord, need to be at the wheel, because I will just wreck again. That day, I was different, not angry. He has given me strength. When praying with staff, the walls came down around my heart.”

Soon, she will leave the safety of Samaritan Inn. She will still have her job, but she will have a new identity. There is no guarantee of protection from the world. There is, however, an assurance of her eternal relationship with the Lord. From there she can work on healthy relationships with people.