Healing The Hurt

Psalm 62:8-10 – Trust God, my friends, and always tell him each one of your concerns. God is our place of safety. We humans are only a breath; none of us are truly great. All of us together weigh less than a puff of air. Don't trust in violence or depend on dishonesty or rely on great wealth. (CEV)

"Don't trust in violence". Violence has never proven to be a way to solve problems or re-establish relationships.

I was never so ashamed and never so proud to be a Pictonian [Editor's note: citizen of Pictou] as I was the day I was racing through the department store. I just heard the final comments from a store clerk who was adamant in demanding that a mother, who was pulling the hair of a daughter being difficult, refrain from any such activity or she would report her. The mother grabbed hold of the daughter roughly and marched to the manager to report the "rude" behaviour of this employee for interfering in her punishing her daughter. The woman finished by yelling, "I'll do whatever I wish with my daughter and you'll stay out of it." The employee, now facing disciplinary action, still stood her ground and said, "If you ever do anything like that in here again, I'll report you."

Of course the only reason I heard all this is that I knew the employee was in serious trouble and so I stuck around and, when the woman stopped ranting, I informed the manager that this employee was to be commended and not criticized. A couple of other customers could be seen hovering around the fiasco and came forward to affirm what I said about the employee. Finally I asked the employee to let me know if there were any further repercussions and then I gave her my visiting card.

Does God expect any less of us?

Prayer: Holy and Loving God, as you open our minds to frightening truths and dangerous situations, so open our hearts to the victims of family violence – women, children and men – and help us to reach out to them in loving support. Stir our compassion and help us in the struggle for justice for all people. God in your love, hear our prayer. Amen.