Giving Thanks…Life After Sexual Abuse
Today Princess Milkface rode a big girl bike all by herself. Pretty typical 5 year old milestone, but when I think back to where we were in August, things that have happened since then are nothing short of miracles.
The “New Normal” After Reporting Sexual Abuse
In August, we shed tears of hope while shouldering the burden of disbelief when the investigator who interviewed Princess Milkface about her molestation said this would just be a blip on her radar.
Later that same month, Princess Milkface found her first best friend in Kindergarten.
In August, we worried as much, if not more, about Captain Starburst’s recovery. Would his entire senior year be nothing but a painful reminder of his estranged friend? Will he be set up to make healthy friend choices as he prepares to leave for college next year?
In September, Captain Starburst shared with me that in hindsight, his friendship with Willy wasn’t all that healthy for him, and he was thankful to have learned some of these lessons while he was still in high school (and have opened the door to a new friend who truly values him).
In August, we were shellshocked and numb that something as unthinkable as sexual abuse happened to us, on vacation at a place we treasure for its ability to restore us…both as individuals and together as a family.
In October, Princess Milkface started to connect the dots with reading. We’ve been watching with joy and baited breath as she sounds out words, reflects, and then we can almost see the lightbulb light up when she smiles with recognition of the word and the sentence.
In August, we were humbled in our brokenness to see how God stepped in to protect Princess Milkface and heal our family from sexual abuse, even before we knew just how badly we needed Him.
And now, on Thanksgiving weekend, Princess Milkface decided that for her first day of bike riding, she was going to ride the entire length of our street. When she fell and scraped her leg, Honyay encouraged her to get back on her bike and ride it home. She refused to get back on until he turned it around, pointing in the direction of the goal she set for herself. She the proceeded to achieve her goal…not once, but twice.
God Can Restore Broken Things, Even Families Crushed by Abuse
As I was watching Princess Milkface achieve this milestone, I realized that these little victories in our lives are actually examples of God’s grace.
My next thought brought tears to my eyes. In that very same moment that we were being restored, there were also people out there in dark, hopeless places, wondering how they’ll ever get out. Struggling to see how God could possibly be using current circumstances for good. Wondering what the “new normal” could even be.
I felt led to share our story of these months to give some hope to those who are feeling hopeless. God is still good. He has been with us, strengthening us, and helping us to rebuild over these 3 months. The numbness and the darkness didn’t last. Now I see these milestones as the miracles they are. Each one is a love letter from God showing his grace.
As Princess Milkface has been saying all month (it’s her memory verse)…
Give thanks no matter what happens. God wants you to thank Him because you believe in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
