Here we are in October again…
I remember October 2021, my first full month as the National Chaplain for FOCUS Ministries, I was blessed to have 19 counseling calls with women across the country who were suffering from domestic abuse. I thought to myself, “Wow, there are so many women who need to hear the truth that they are not alone, Jesus is their only hope, He sees their plight, He hears their cries and He is with them with grace to leave the abuse or grace to stay and endure.”
One year later, October 2022, I spoke on the phone with 33 women who were abused, looking for help, support and hope.
Only God knows what the number will be for October 2023, but here’s what we’ve seen in the past three months:
July…………….44 counseling calls
August…………57 counseling calls
September…….45 counseling calls
I would call that a dramatic increase over the past three years. We are also meeting more women face to face and have an average attendance of 6-8 women at our weekly in-person support groups.
So that’s just the stats, just the numbers in our little circle of domestic abuse victim support. Imagine across the country, across the board, all the incidents that are happening all around us that are going unreported or undisclosed. Imagine the women in all walks of life, all ages, some married, some with children, some homeless, some hopeless – all wondering “Where is God when he is abusing me? Does God even care that I am going through this? Why is this man so hateful to me?”
I believe that having a month devoted to domestic violence awareness is a good thing. I believe that we must all do our part to bring light to this plague in our homes. I’m really seeing that it is a secret pandemic! Do you have a friend who needs help but is afraid to talk about what’s going on in her family? Is there someone at church who looks like something is troubling her, but she can’t talk about it?
Please share our website with the women in your Bible study groups, church small groups, and even the pastoral staff. It’s easy to remember: www.focusministries1.org
Let’s increase awareness and be helpers to those who are oppressed and hurting. The Lord will help you to help them. Our God hates oppression and abuse.
“The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.” Psalms 9:9