I'm Angry

I'm angry. I'm furious. I want to punch someone or something. I'm not angry because someone cut me off in traffic or because a restaurant got my order wrong. I've seen far too much of this kind of anger in our world. We have fuses so short that we will get out of our cars at a stoplight to yell at the person who drove too slow in front of us. Yes, I recently witnessed this along with the verbally explosive exchange between a man and woman because the woman blared her horn at the man for not pulling out at a stop sign quickly enough. Even though she couldn't see around the corner as he could, she deemed he had plenty of time to go. This is not the type of anger I feel. In fact, this type of anger or treatment of a total stranger is something I've never understood. It's downright stupid. We are quick to fight over things that don't matter or disassociate from people who offend us, and yet we are blind to the things that would cause Jesus to be angry.

The anger I feel is towards those who deliberately hurt and harm another human. Today I spent the day with a teen who was recently kidnapped and taken to another city and forced into prostitution. When she was only in elementary school she was raped by her stepfather and subsequently put into foster care. As angry as I am at the "man" who forced her into prostitution, I'm even angrier at the "man" who robbed this precious child of her innocence.

My daughter is 8. Tonight as I washed her hair in the bath, the reality of the stage of life when the other girl was violated became very real. There is absolutely NOTHING sexual about an 8 year old girl. Earlier tonight  I watched as she played outside. I watched as she sang and twirled and animatedly talked to her imaginary friends. This is the world of an 8 year old girl.

Post by Karen Mundy.

I'm angry for the little girls who aren't protected by the very people who should protect them the fiercest. I left my corporate job almost four years ago because I saw the affect my absence was having on my children. My oldest daughter was being bullied at school and yet I couldn't protect her because to be present for her would have caused me to lose my job anyway. I saw as she was withdrawing and I knew I had to make a drastic life change in order to be able to protect her. I knew the decision was led by God. I faced harsh criticism from church leadership for a decision they deemed as irresponsible. Sometimes in order to protect our children we must make choices others don't understand. I know what it means to make hard choices, which is also why I accept no excuses for those who refuse to protect their children. Every one of us has a choice to make. 

I am angry at the mothers who place a relationship over the safety and protection of their children. Over and over again I witness single moms who begin dating a man and within weeks or months they are sleeping at each other's home or moving in together. I wonder how many of them have performed a background check on these men. I, too, have been guilty of this type of behavior. Although sexual abuse did not occur, I did place my daughters in an environment that was not healthy. There were many loud arguments and plenty of days full of tension. When I saw the direction this relationship was heading, I ended it. The decision cost me financially and led to us being evicted. However, it was worth it in order to protect my children. 

The young woman I worked with today was asleep when I arrived. When I checked in on her I saw she had her thumb in her mouth. My heart broke as I saw her not as a teenager, but as a precious little girl. I saw a daughter of Christ. I saw someone who was loved, treasured, and valuable. My daughters were both thumb suckers. I've spent countless hours watching them sleep. Today my heart broke for the little girl who was abused and who had to comfort herself. The reason I work random jobs to make money is so on days like today I can be available to let this young lady know there ARE people in this world who will fight for her. I will scrub toilets for as long as I have to if it means there are days I can give a hug and encouragement to an abused and broken woman. I will fight not just for her, but for every little girl out there who has nobody to fight for them. 

Children are a precious gift from God. On the days that are emotionally hard for me, it seems as if my daughters know I need some extra smiles and hugs. While driving home tonight my daughter began singing along with the song on the radio. As she sang she would glance over at me and smile. She sang of how it was a "Beautiful Day." After watching her playing with her imaginary friends without any cares in the world, she reminded me that for her, today truly was a beautiful day. Every day she can simply be an 8 year old girl is another day I will fight for those who had that right taken away. 

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