Extending Grace in a Dark Place

One of the remarkable things about the Bible is that it never shies away from exposing our brokenness. It shows us the ugliest sides of humanity, ugliness that has been with us from the book of Genesis until today.

A few weeks ago, Libby looked at the tragic story of Dinah’s sexual assault in Genesis 34 (if you missed her sermon, we heartily recommend it for its truth and grace; if you caught it, it’s well worth a relisten).What makes Dinah’s story even more tragic is that her experience has been repeated throughout human history. In the United States alone, 25.5 million women (more than 1 in 5) have experienced rape or attempted rape in their lifetimes (National Sexual Violence Resource Center).

The Bible doesn’t only explore this kind of sexual assault. In Genesis 19, we see a male survivor of sexual violence when Lot’s daughters rape him. Today, the number of male survivors of sexual violence is also staggering at 2.8 million in the US alone.

The Bible also recognizes the reality of destructive lies and manipulations. In Genesis 39, when Potiphar’s wife falsely accuses Joseph of rape, he is sent to prison and his life upended. In our society, the statistics of false allegations is difficult to calculate but wreaks havoc on both the reputations of the honorable people accused and also the true testimonies of real victims.

Clearly today, we are still wrestling with our brokenness, including in this devastating area of sexual violence.

At Granite Springs Church, we want to be a community committed to speaking out against sexual violence. We want to be a community committed to welcoming, listening to, and advocating for survivors of sexual assault. And we want to be a safe place where people can experience the love and healing power of God’s grace.

To that end, we want to provide resources that can be of assistance for survivors of sexual violence. We also want to provide lines of connection for people to reach out to members of Granite Springs Church. Below you will find some counseling resources, as well as a way to contact people at Granite Springs who are prayerfully ready to listen and love and affirm anyone who has experienced sexual abuse or harassment.

The psalmist tells us that God “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3). As the body of Christ, it is our great privilege to extend that healing grace to each other, and to serve others in the way that we would serve Christ himself (Matt 25:45).

Resources

Local Counseling Resources:

Know also that our elders or deacons are always willing to pray, listen and talk with you. To confidentially contact one of them, you can reach out to Amy at the church office who will help connect you.

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