Sin, Sorrow, and Sadness

Sin, Sorrow and Sadness -- This would certainly preach ! This has been a rough couple of days. Started out good on Sunday evening I spoke at a local women's group and received a good reception and hopefully some help from them for the ministry. Had only been home a few minutes when the phone rang and the person on the other line said, Pastor --- gave me your number. We just had a call from a close family friend that there had been an incident at her home. I told him to call the Sheriff's office, I called the Advocate on call. When I got the name I knew immediately who the victim was. I had talked to her several times last summer and had encouraged her to seek guidance and come to the group meetings. She declined and said it was better and she would be fine. Well, it is not fine, she was gone for the day and when she returned he had trashed the house,taken furniture, money, car etc. She had no idea he was planning to do so. I talked to her on Monday,she of course was very distraught and seeking legal help. After speaking to her for a few moments I could tell she is still in denial that she has a problem. This is her 3rd abusive relationship. It saddens me that there is help for her and she refuses to except it. I often think, if I had someone like me when I was in the same situation would I have excepted help? Monday AM I had another call from a woman who had called her Pastor and he gave her my number. She has recently recalled a terrible incident from her childhood that involved sexual abuse when she was very young. It has devastated her as the abuser was a relative. As I have had no experience or specialized training in this area I gave her the number of someone who can help her. This AM I had another call from a lady who had visited our local food pantry,the volunteer had a premonition she was in an abusive relationship, she gave her my number. I prayed with her over the phone and helped her put together a safety plan to be used should she decide to leave. In the course of our talk I have reason to believe she may have an alcohol problem. This is a common factor for women to drink to help cope with the abuse, of course this has its own set of problems. Shortly after I finished that call the phone rang again,another woman seeking help, she has left the abuser and realizes she needs help, so I am meeting her in the morning. It is hard to believe in a county of 17,000 people there is so much Domestic/Family abuse.I have logged in over 60 hours this month and have a full day of counsel tomorrow and a group meeting tomorrow night. Do it all over again on Friday. If you are a person of prayer, please pray that God will send someone to help me. He said He would not give us more than we could handle, but sometimes I feel I can not take on another client. The sin of this world seems to be multiplying by leaps and bounds. Domestic Violence causes so much sorrow and brings sadness into the lives of all who come in contact with it. I know there can be LIFE after DV and this is what drives me each and everyday to impart the truth of God's Word into the lives of these women that they will see and hear the truth of His Word and it will surely set them free. I will be at a Ministers Conference in Houston next week, I always come home refreshed, renewed, and ready to keep running the race He has set before me. Until next time, "Keep Your Eyes On Jesus, He has ALL the Answers".