God Cries

The only reason God would sacrifice His Son for a people like us would be intense love. I am certain that He cries. Last night was my turn to help at the womens' shelter. Two ladies from church make dinner every Friday night and take it to the ladies there and eat with them. Sometimes there may only be 1 victim, sometimes 10. Often there are small children, sometimes teens, living there with their mother while they try to sort through everything and move on with their lives. Our church has helped there about two years now, and many stories have been told. Last night was interesting... One woman was very cheerful and positive. She is 39 years old and never thought she would find herself in an abusive relationship. She is a journalist and has even written articles about these women, but always said, "That will never happen to me." Then she got married in October, and it happened. She left after about 2 months of marriage. The interesting thing was that she had asked the Poor Clares in DC to pray for her before the wedding. They called her the week before the wedding and asked what she was feeling about the marriage. She said she felt a little trepidation, but thought it was nerves. The nun answered, "There are 13 of us here and none of us feel good about this marriage. We don't know what it is, but there is a darkness around it." She went on with the wedding, saying, "I have this big dress, I can't quit now." She wishes she had listened to the nuns (and God) now. The hard part is that she is 39 and wants a family. She had saved herself for a husband all of those years, waiting on God to send one. How often we put our desires in front of what God is actually saying. This same woman and I were talking with a 28 year old woman. She was telling us that you can be abused and not know it. She would always fight back with her husband, so she thought it was just a fight, not abuse. If he hit her, she hit him back, and it was ok. She said there is a line when you love someone that you know not to cross. If that line is crossed then you know you have to get out. Then she went on to say how he would urinate on her, throw her naked out on the highway, leave her places, and of course, beat her up. She thought all of that was normal. I asked her at what point she decided this wasn't good. "When he took the doorframe off to get in the house while she was asleep and tried to choke her to death, saying "Die b---!" She called 911 and they came to get him. However, this had to happen one more time before she really left him. I asked if this is how her parents treated each other. "I don't have any parents. My mother was 15 when she had me. I never knew my dad. My mom was a drug addict and I left home at 13. I've been on my own since." My Lord, who loves us so much, sees this happen to his children. I am certain that He cries. ---------- On a lighter note; #1 came to me yesterday and said, "I just realized that a lot can happen in a little kid's head." "Like what?" I asked. "I just spent half an hour having a war in my head. I won."