Hope in the Shadows: A Story of Surviving Child Abuse

I’m going to tell you a story about a very scared nine year old girl. Her home life isn’t great, but it’s all she knows. As Jamie wrote in her note from the author, Abby “...never questioned the empty cupboards or the constant hunger. She didn’t know it wasn’t normal to not have toys or clothes. She didn’t know that smoke billowing in a living room full of strangers, beer cans, and white lines of powder on tables was not the norm.” Child Protective Services removed Abby and her siblings from their home, but eventually placed them somewhere that Abby’s abuse would not only continue, but be worse than any case I have ever heard of. 

 

Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I’m your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us. If you are listening, I believe you have a unique calling—to become a different kind of PI, not a typical private investigator, but a person of impact!

 

We’re going to look at the 10th chapter of Deuteronomy today. It starts out with Moses having to make new stone tablets for the 10 commandments to be written on because he got mad and smashed the first ones when he saw the children of Israel worshipping the golden calf. That’s right. God gave them tablets with rules on them INSCRIBED BY HIS OWN FINGER, and Moses broke them. On purpose. Losing our tempers has just never worked out for us has it? 

 

Anyway, God has Moses make two more tablets that will be put in the ark. This is the ark of the covenant, a gold covered wooden box, not the ark with the animals. And Moses tells the people again about the commandments and mentions that they are for our own good. He speaks about how the God they serve shows no partiality and how He defends the cause of the fatherless. Verse 18 in the HCSB says: 

 

He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, 

and loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing.

 

This is a hard promise to reconcile with what we’ve heard today - and you know that I left a lot out. But remember what I said at the beginning, that Abby wants everyone to find hope in her story? Well this verse speaks to me of hope. Even if we don’t see justice in the story so far for this young girl who grew up first with no father and then with a father that no one should have had, we know that God promises that it is coming. It may not look like what we are expecting or come as soon as we want it too. That’s why in the midst of troubles we have to hang onto hope the way Abby did. Be sure you don’t miss next week’s episode to hear what happens. 

 

Child abuse is so hard to talk about and if anyone listening has experienced that I want to say that you are strong, you are loved, and it was not your fault. And if you are someone who suspects abuse in the life of a child please contact authorities. Most foster parents are loving and kind and will help abused children as they heal. If you have a story to share about this topic,  Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have those hard, but impactful conversations!

 

Please visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com. 

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