the bride, the flower girls, and the sword bearer


I heard from a young woman yesterday who told me the following story. This is part of the testimony of her life, and I pray that it brings encouragement.

When she was a teen, she was spending time with the wrong crowd. She frequented parties where things were available that she knew she should not indulge in. Even so, what happened to her, should never have happened.

She was overwhelmed by a group of young men. Horrifically, they raped her.

This experience was so dark and filled with terror that she somehow blocked it out. Now an adult, she had no memory of the event...until last summer.

She spent her summer on the mission field. She had given her heart to Christ years ago, and began to serve Him through missions.

While out of the country this summer, she began to be tormented by nightmares. These were so intense that she struggled significantly. Friends often came to her aid when they occurred.

Over the course of the summer, she came to realize that this was an actual event. By God's infinite grace, He delivered her from this suppressed experience. She came to understand that even in the horrendous experiences of life, that Christ is with us, and she was able to discover Him in this way. Doing so, set her free of the torment. The enemy no longer had the ability to cause her pain from this.

She lives a long distance away from her home as a teen.

Not long after she arrived back in the states, she was contacted by a male friend. The friend said, "I got a call from one of your old friends. You knew him when you were younger. He moved here and wants to know if he can come and see you."

She realized that this was one of her attackers. This would not be an easy decision. She prayed over her answer, and then said, "if you go with me, I will meet him."

Nervous, she and her friend made the trip to meet him on neutral ground.

She shook his hand and they all sat down. He began to tell her that he had been tormented all summer over the memory of what he and his friends had done to her. He had relived, over and over the experience. His stomach was sickened, and could not move forward without seeking her forgiveness.

They had in fact, seemingly, had the same dreams at the same time...only they were not dreams but memories.

She had prayed a great deal over this meeting. She knew that since she had been set free, that she also needed to release him, to forgive him. It took all of her courage, but she summoned it from the depths of her relationship with Christ.

She told him, "I forgive you."

This man was older, and had tried to settle into the life of an adult, but had been troubled by many things. As they shared, she told him of the Salvation of Christ and how he could be set completely free. He was not interested. He thought he would find redemption in her forgiveness, alone.

They parted company and weeks went by. Each carried on with their life.

Weeks turned into months...and then a phone call.

She was on her way to run errands when the call came. It was him.

"Hey can I see you again? I need to talk to you."

She was alone and did not want to be foolish. She offered to meet him in a public place... Wal-Mart.

They found each other there and began to talk., He told her he had thought a great deal about what she had said. He thought he was close to giving his heart to Christ.

They talked about this for a time, then decided to get something to eat there in the store. They sat down and had lunch. Their conversation took them many other places, but when the food was gone, he returned the conversation to where it began.

"I think I am ready to accept Christ," he said.

Two days ago, sitting in a Wal-Mart food court, this rape victim who loved her Savior so much, denied her own pain and led her attacker to Jesus!

His Grace is sufficient for a rape victim. His Grace is sufficient for a rapist. His Grace is sufficient for me!

I gotta go and tell!

dad