Who will speak up for them? Who will defend them? Who will help the parents who do the abusing to change? When it comes to child abuse, it's very distressing to know that Christians and church members are not guiltless either. Why? These are questions I ask myself. The need seems so overwhelming. What can one person do? What can I do? What would Jesus do?
You may ask, "Why are you talking about child abuse, Elaine?" Let me give you some background.
Last Wednesday my friend Becky and I sat at my kitchen table catching up on our friendship, and she asked me, "Why are you writing books for children?" I replied what I had always said, that I wanted to give kids the truth, wholesome fun, and educational reading. Something other than fairy tales. Something that will impact their lives as they grow up."
Then suddenly, I paused. I felt surprise at what I said next. "You know, I think down deep the reason is because of something I witnessed years ago. To the best of my recollection, the year was 1990. One day as I got out of my car at a grocery store, I saw a father use his fists to hit his son again and again over the head and shoulders, all the while shouting derogatory words at him that he was stupid, no good, worthless. The boy looked to be about 12 or 13, was thin, and slightly deformed, as though his body reflected years of this kind of treatment. His head and shoulders slumped as he tried in vain to deflect the blows. The father continued to berate and pummel him as the boy stumbled into the store.
"I felt sick to my stomach. I wanted to run up and tell that guy to stop it! I wanted to put my arms around the young boy and tell him he's valued and loved. How my heart ached for him as I longed to comfort him, tell him that not all parents are like that. But I felt paralyzed -- not sure what to do. Uncertainty held me back, and I felt angry, helpless and ashamed that I didn't do something.
"What could I do about child abuse? Instead of wishing Hollywood or somebody else would do something, I thought to myself, "Elaine, you do something! Don't curse the darkness -- light a candle!" I thought maybe I could write something -- perhaps get an article or story published in a magazine.
"I was attracted to an offer I got in the mail from The Institute of Children's Literature shortly after that; I enrolled in their Special Publishing Course and received my diploma from them in 1992. I tried to enter the magazine market, but with little success. Life got busy -- grandkids came -- and years passed. I tucked a story or two away that I wrote for my grandchildren.
"Then in November of 2010 when I gave a copy of my story to my friend Jane for her grandkids, she said I have to write more than just one chapter. Thus, "Biff and Becka's Springtime Adventures" was born; my first book was released June 4, 2012."
So now you know. Now I have my "Why." Becky's question crystallized my focus: I want to help prevent child abuse. I now see how that undercurrent throughout my first book while aware of the internal force that drove me to write as I did. I wanted to model a godly home. I talk about spanking and godly parental training. I show how a parents' words affect their children, how Biff felt when parents yelled at their kids while playing at his friends' homes, how he struggled to tell the truth if it got Alice in trouble, etc. I model a godly home for kids to read about, along with the educational, fun and adventure aspects of the book. I put chapter questions at the end of the book to encourage discussion between parent and child. I envision my book(s) will help parents and children.
One godly lady wrote me an e-mail this past Sunday and told me she was a victim of child abuse, and said that as a child she read good books that modeled a happy home. Those books gave her hope as she saw how a happy family ought to be, and she determined to have one someday. I never even considered that a book would make a difference in the life of an abused child. I'm so glad it did. Books are powerful tools God can use to help someone who's hurting.
I asked this lady if she'd give me permission to tell her story if I didn't use her real name, and she replied she'd be honored to have her story told. I plan to share her story on this blog before long. I believe it can be healing to write your story and have it told.
If you are such a person, dear reader, you may write me at 8908 Weems Road, Manassas, VA 20110. I don't need to know your real name, but I can write your story on my blog to let your voice be heard. If you'd rather e-mail me, write me at elaine@elaineandfriends.com.
If you'd like to order a book for a family you think would benefit from it, go to my website at www.elaineandfriends.com. God bless and keep you.
Copyright © 2012 Elaine Beachy
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