Pastor Cullen prompted, reaching for his water bottle.
Kat responded,
“Knowing that there was a new life, this tiny human being inside of me gave me
the strength to accept what had happened. It gave me the power to bring the
pregnancy to term. I had lost my parents too, so I….”
Fighting back
tears, Kat went on. “I felt very alone. My parents were no longer alive, and
even though I have a sister, I didn’t tell her about it. We haven’t spoken in
years. She blames me for our parents’ deaths. And Michael was an orphan so he
had no family members that he knew of.”
Pastor Cullen
said slowly, “That must have been a very difficult time for you.”
“I think I was
in shock or something. I felt numb for a long time but managed to keep going
for the sake of the baby.” She smiled at Pastor Cullen. “I love Tyler so much
that I can’t imagine my life without him.”
Pastor Cullen
digested Kat’s words as he sat in his chair. With a deep breath, he leaned
forward to take Kat’s hands into his own. “No matter what happened to you and
no matter how long the healing process takes, always remember God is your
Redeemer.” He closed his eyes and recited, “Psalm 147:3 tells us, ‘He heals the
broken hearted and binds up their wounds.’” He opened his eyes and released
Kat’s hands. “What this means is that God will help you make the broken things
whole again. He is in a position to redeem you.”
Kat listened to
his words thoughtfully. “Isn’t the book of Psalms about those who have suffered
at the hands of others?” she asked.
“Yes. As
individuals, we can share our feelings with God, both positive and negative. We
can be assured that He will listen to us and understand us. One of the things
we can do when finding God in our struggles is to face what has happened to us
as part of the recovery process.” Pastor Cullen paused, letting his words sink
in. “Have you talked to anyone else about this, Kat?”
“Not many. Rhonda
and Robert know. The doctor who treated me made me a referral to see a
counselor, but I never went.” Kat admitted.
The pastor
nodded in understanding. “How have you been able to deal with your ordeal on
your own?”
“It hasn’t been
easy. It still isn’t. I mean, of course, I ask myself why this happened to me.
Why did my parents have to die? I don’t know which is worse, their deaths or
the fact that the man who raped me was never caught. He—he’s still out there,
somewhere.” Kat’s expression revealed a hint of fear.
“It’s okay, take
your time.” Pastor Cullen soothed. “You are safe here.”
“I lived in
Charltonville when all of this happened. I was recovering in the hospital for
three days and when I was released, I knew I could never stay in my apartment
ever again.” Kat paused to take a sip of her water.
“It took me two
days to pack up all of my belongings. I stayed in a hotel because I was afraid
that monster would come back and possibly kill me.”
“Did you have a
friend with you to help you through this?” the pastor inquired.
“No. All I could
think about was getting my things out of there and getting as far away as
possible. Michael and I had planned on living out here after we got married. We
visited the area several times and liked it so much that we decided we would
make Lakesboro our permanent home. All we had to do was wait until I completed
my studies and fulfilled my contract at work.”
“We had put down
both of our names on the lease agreement on the house I live in now. The owner
had some repairs she wanted to make so that the house would be ready for us to
move in. When I finished my schoolwork, Michael and I flew to Millstone,
Arizona for my graduation ceremony. My parents had flown in from New York to
attend as well. After we celebrated with a nice dinner, Michael and I went to
visit the Grand Canyon. That’s when he proposed.” Kat stared lovingly at the
ring on her finger. “Ever since then, I’ve never
Kat responded,
“Knowing that there was a new life, this tiny human being inside of me gave me
the strength to accept what had happened. It gave me the power to bring the
pregnancy to term. I had lost my parents too, so I….”
Fighting back
tears, Kat went on. “I felt very alone. My parents were no longer alive, and
even though I have a sister, I didn’t tell her about it. We haven’t spoken in
years. She blames me for our parents’ deaths. And Michael was an orphan so he
had no family members that he knew of.”
Pastor Cullen
said slowly, “That must have been a very difficult time for you.”
“I think I was
in shock or something. I felt numb for a long time but managed to keep going
for the sake of the baby.” She smiled at Pastor Cullen. “I love Tyler so much
that I can’t imagine my life without him.”
Pastor Cullen
digested Kat’s words as he sat in his chair. With a deep breath, he leaned
forward to take Kat’s hands into his own. “No matter what happened to you and
no matter how long the healing process takes, always remember God is your
Redeemer.” He closed his eyes and recited, “Psalm 147:3 tells us, ‘He heals the
broken hearted and binds up their wounds.’” He opened his eyes and released
Kat’s hands. “What this means is that God will help you make the broken things
whole again. He is in a position to redeem you.”
Kat listened to
his words thoughtfully. “Isn’t the book of Psalms about those who have suffered
at the hands of others?” she asked.
“Yes. As
individuals, we can share our feelings with God, both positive and negative. We
can be assured that He will listen to us and understand us. One of the things
we can do when finding God in our struggles is to face what has happened to us
as part of the recovery process.” Pastor Cullen paused, letting his words sink
in. “Have you talked to anyone else about this, Kat?”
“Not many. Rhonda
and Robert know. The doctor who treated me made me a referral to see a
counselor, but I never went.” Kat admitted.
The pastor
nodded in understanding. “How have you been able to deal with your ordeal on
your own?”
“It hasn’t been
easy. It still isn’t. I mean, of course, I ask myself why this happened to me.
Why did my parents have to die? I don’t know which is worse, their deaths or
the fact that the man who raped me was never caught. He—he’s still out there,
somewhere.” Kat’s expression revealed a hint of fear.
“It’s okay, take
your time.” Pastor Cullen soothed. “You are safe here.”
“I lived in
Charltonville when all of this happened. I was recovering in the hospital for
three days and when I was released, I knew I could never stay in my apartment
ever again.” Kat paused to take a sip of her water.
“It took me two
days to pack up all of my belongings. I stayed in a hotel because I was afraid
that monster would come back and possibly kill me.”
“Did you have a
friend with you to help you through this?” the pastor inquired.
“No. All I could
think about was getting my things out of there and getting as far away as
possible. Michael and I had planned on living out here after we got married. We
visited the area several times and liked it so much that we decided we would
make Lakesboro our permanent home. All we had to do was wait until I completed
my studies and fulfilled my contract at work.”
“We had put down
both of our names on the lease agreement on the house I live in now. The owner
had some repairs she wanted to make so that the house would be ready for us to
move in. When I finished my schoolwork, Michael and I flew to Millstone,
Arizona for my graduation ceremony. My parents had flown in from New York to
attend as well. After we celebrated with a nice dinner, Michael and I went to
visit the Grand Canyon. That’s when he proposed.” Kat stared lovingly at the
ring on her finger. “Ever since then, I’ve never
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