There are people who have had horrendous things happen to them yet through Jesus – his comfort, his peace, his strength, they are free from acute P.T.S.D., bitterness, unforgiveness and suicidal desires. They are free because Jesus works miracles on our minds if we let him. They are free because they have learnt that he can be trusted with their emotions and all their pain.
One Thing You Cannot Take
I opened my front door,
Then stared straight ahead.
What I saw in the distance,
Caused a pounding in my head.
My stomach was churning,
I wanted to be sick
And desperately hoped
This was just a silly trick.
From the hallway it was clear
That my laptop was gone,
The television too.
What was going on?
There was glass on the carpet
From a dresser that was locked.
A chair was upside down,
My path, completely blocked.
I was shaking, I was crying,
I fell to the floor.
I couldn’t be bothered
To shut the front door.
What was the point?
The damage had been done.
Others had privacy,
But me, I had none.
Someone had invaded
And taken part of me.
It wasn’t the possessions
Or the damage I could see.
They’d taken something deeper,
I was feeling so abused.
I’d been violated,
While the guilty were amused.
They had crept inside
Like a little mouse.
No longer a home,
But a tainted, creepy house.
Although they were caught,
I did not feel free.
Will they ever know
What they’ve done to me?
Although they were sentenced,
They’ll probably adapt.
Prison life will suit them.
It’s me who feels trapped.
*****
It wasn’t even dark
When they grabbed me from behind,
But when my head got covered,
I thought that I’d gone blind.
It happened all so quickly,
They shouted and they swore,
And in a split second,
They had me on the floor.
My heart beat so fast,
It made my chest heave,
Exciting them to complete
When they intended to achieve.
One knelt behind me
And pinned down each arm.
I begged like a child,
“Please do me no harm!”
The other lifted up a hand
It came down across my face.
He threatened to strangle me
With his long shoelace.
He pulled up my skirt,
I felt as good as dead.
I had no control of
The travesty that lay ahead.
*****
How long did it last?
I can’t remember now.
I managed to survive,
And I think I know how.
Burglary and rape
Can strip you of your senses,
But when the pain comes flooding back,
There are dreadful consequences.
This all happened years ago,
But it seems like yesterday.
This disturbance in our minds
Will not go away.
*****
This all happened years ago,
The offenders are out of jail.
They’ve forgotten what they did,
But we remember each detail.
This all happened years ago,
But our memories try to tease us.
That was until somebody kind
Introduced us to Jesus.
As traumatic as it is
To face each and every day,
Through all the pain we’ve suffered,
There’s one thing we now can say:
*****
You can take our dignity,
And laugh while we cried,
You can take our present joy
And leave us with no pride.
But there’s one thing you cannot take
And that fills us with elation,
You can’t take our love for Jesus
And you can’t take our salvation.
You can take our possessions,
Stake your claim on all we own,
You can leave us naked in the street,
Vulnerable and all alone.
But when we finally die,
Nothing can be compared
To the good things God has for us,
All the delights he has prepared.
What God will give back
Is far more than what you took.
Being kissed by Jesus,
Outweighs curses from a crook.
You took what you saw,
But you can’t possess our soul.
There are gifts for us far precious
Than anything that you stole.
You ravished my body
And had complete control,
It hurt and I felt wretched,
But inside I am still whole.
You took what was not yours
But we have gifts you cannot steal.
There’s treasure for us in Heaven,
And they are far more real.
God helps us get out of bed
And face another day,
We have strength to tell our culprits,
“Forgiveness is on the way.”
Jesus is our comforter
And holds us when we cry,
Some days are bad, but he’s promised us,
No more tears when we die.
Such hope is indescribable,
It brings us much release.
We never thought our minds
Could feel supernatural peace.
He died to set us free,
He suffered for our sake.
We’ve accepted his salvation
And that you cannot take!
