Child Molestation

"When a child is abused, their spirit is killed."-Oprah Winfrey


I know people personally who have been victims of molestation. I have seen, heard, prayed, and cried with those who have been abused by those they trusted: friends, siblings, parents, and even pastors. I'm so saddened by this deeply, hurtful reality of life. Oprah Winfrey, who needs no introduction, sat with four men convicted of child molestation and heard their stories, interviewing and asking hard questions to uncover what has happened to millions.

You can watch this episode here.

This Oprah Winfrey show rattled me, frustrated me. Honestly, I was sick, sad, disgusted..PISSED OFF. I'm a parent of two girls. I listened to men who raped, manipulated and took advantage of little girls...children. These men KNEW their victims personally. They had relationships with these girls. They earned their trust, groomed these girls, and took advantage of that. One man molested his own daughter.


I was propelled to pray for molestation victims, for healing, and for God's power to set them free. If you, or anyone you know is a victim, would you stop right now and pray. May God's love come over you, may you/they believe, feel, and follow him and understand his closeness.

It was hard not to self-righteously judge these men. I want justice, and these four men are paying the price of their actions. But at one point I consciously had to remind myself that I am just as loved by God as these men. And God can and will forgive these men if they ask, seek, and receive it from God...just as I have been forgiven for the way I have sinned against God and others. (Next week, Oprah said she will have interviews with mothers, babysitters, and others..women who have committed such crimes).

I appreciated this interview because these men exposed tactics that parents, anyone who cares for children, need to know. One man said he had power over his victim because the parents of his victim neglected their daughter. This is another motivation for parents to prioritize loving their children. The convicted molesters said that parents need to look for cues, watch their children with other adults around them, and trust instincts. "Kids don't lie about being touched, listen to the children." And if you are being molested today: TELL SOMEBODY. It is not your fault.

God HEARTS Ted

Ted Haggard, a former pastor who resigned after being caught in a sex scandal, appeared for his 1st ever interview a couple weeks ago since his scandal in 2006. Apparently HBO made a documentary of his life now and he's been on Oprah and Larry King to discuss it.

I watched some of his interviews with sadness and pity. I was also angry. Angry for the sin that he covered up and the lies that hurt so many people including his wife, family, and the church. I also was confused by some of the things he said and wondered where he truly is in relationship to God. I wondered had he truly, humbly, experienced God's love? I'll leave that up to God but it seemed obvious that he'd been hurt in the process of his discipline from the church. Ted once led thousands of people as a pastor, but never dealt or admitted his sin, past, tendencies, or ungodly behavior.

Ted admitted to being sexually abused as a child.
Ted admitted to using meth and seeing a prostitute.
Ted admitted to lying.
Ted admitted to still dealing with thoughts and tendencies.

At one point in watching these interviews I had to stop the TV and pray. I cried. I wept. I sat with Wendy saddened by the hurt, the sin, and the whole story. I empathized. I saw all of humanity in him, troubled, shamed, hurt and confused and I saw myself in him.. I was thankful as I cried. I was thankful for God's grace and healing in my life for blessing me with community and healthy relationships. I thanked God that I was able to be healed and experience freedom and I had been prevented from bringing pain and destruction to my life and the ones I love. At one time time years ago I was praying that God would heal me and make me whole "in the secret," so I wouldn't have to tell anyone my issues, my past, or my sin. But that's not how God works. God heals in community, for his glory, and so that others can find hope, too. We often won't let God heal us in His way and so we choose instead to be fake, like Ted, we choose to live a life of dishonesty and it ends up hurting others.. We won't be healed if we aren't willing to confess our sins and risk what people might think. James 5:16 even says that healing comes when we confess our sins and people pray for us. We must believe that God's love is enough and more important than what anyone thinks or says (so we don't hold back) so that we could truly see what responding to God would look like when we authentically experience God! For many reasons, but a couple come to mind. 1-For God's glory, 2-to prevent the pain caused in so many lives of unexposed, hidden sins and 3- so that we can actually experience the love and freedom God intended! I hope and pray that the church continues to be a place of freedom where people can share anything and receive grace, even pastors! I'm still fighting to believe and live this truth!