Linny was a girl in our youth group - a pretty little thing, always faithful, always cheerful.
One Sunday morning, Linny missed Youth Sunday School - very rare - and I called that week to check on her. She didn't answer (no cell phones back then - just a home phone) and I got busy and started doing something else.
Next Sunday Morning, Linny showed up, but my wife took me aside and mentioned "she has a lot of makeup on". My wife isn't judgmental or prudish like that, so I knew she must have meant something else, and she continued --- I think she's trying to hide something.
Sure enough, Linny's right eye looked puffy and her right cheek looked swollen, and the makeup looked, indeed, like it was hiding something, though not very well.
My wife (always have my wife deal with the girls, I deal with the guys, or we deal with the girls together) took her aside and asked her if everything was OK. She insisted it was, so my wife let it go.
Later that evening, at the Pastor's house, this came up. And our pastor explained that Linny lived with an abusive father, and would not leave. Sometimes he'd come home drunk, and she had washed and put all the dishes away except one, and he would grab it in a rage and throw it and scream and yell, and sometimes slap her. Pastor continued, "several of us have offered to take her in - she has no mom - but she won't leave him". When I tried pushing it further, Pastor told me "talk to her".
Next Sunday morning, my wife and I talked to her together - and Linny finally broke down and admitted her dad was abusive, but ONLY WHEN HE HAD BEEN DRINKING.... and we begged her to come stay with us.
What she said next brought tears to my eyes... she said, "I just know that one day he's going to come home, and he'll be sober, and he'll be trying to figure out what's wrong, and If I'm not there, there won't be anybody to tell him about Jesus".
Last night, Linny called my wife - her dad, at age 88, accepted Christ as his Savior. He had come to Linny's house (she is now married to a wonderful man, and they have three children) to ask her to forgive him for all of his abuse. She and her husband told him about Jesus, and he confessed Christ as Lord.
One Sunday morning, Linny missed Youth Sunday School - very rare - and I called that week to check on her. She didn't answer (no cell phones back then - just a home phone) and I got busy and started doing something else.
Next Sunday Morning, Linny showed up, but my wife took me aside and mentioned "she has a lot of makeup on". My wife isn't judgmental or prudish like that, so I knew she must have meant something else, and she continued --- I think she's trying to hide something.
Sure enough, Linny's right eye looked puffy and her right cheek looked swollen, and the makeup looked, indeed, like it was hiding something, though not very well.
My wife (always have my wife deal with the girls, I deal with the guys, or we deal with the girls together) took her aside and asked her if everything was OK. She insisted it was, so my wife let it go.
Later that evening, at the Pastor's house, this came up. And our pastor explained that Linny lived with an abusive father, and would not leave. Sometimes he'd come home drunk, and she had washed and put all the dishes away except one, and he would grab it in a rage and throw it and scream and yell, and sometimes slap her. Pastor continued, "several of us have offered to take her in - she has no mom - but she won't leave him". When I tried pushing it further, Pastor told me "talk to her".
Next Sunday morning, my wife and I talked to her together - and Linny finally broke down and admitted her dad was abusive, but ONLY WHEN HE HAD BEEN DRINKING.... and we begged her to come stay with us.
What she said next brought tears to my eyes... she said, "I just know that one day he's going to come home, and he'll be sober, and he'll be trying to figure out what's wrong, and If I'm not there, there won't be anybody to tell him about Jesus".
Last night, Linny called my wife - her dad, at age 88, accepted Christ as his Savior. He had come to Linny's house (she is now married to a wonderful man, and they have three children) to ask her to forgive him for all of his abuse. She and her husband told him about Jesus, and he confessed Christ as Lord.
Comment