The God of all comfort, comforts you in all your troubles, so you can comfort those in any trouble. God teaches us to be tender, and it is critical that people respond to survivors of sexual abuse in a compassionate way. Sexual abuse affects a person down to their core, completely unraveling some people. Many survivors feel their safety has been stolen from them, plus with the added shame most survivors feel this can easily send them down a dangerous and depressing road. It takes courage to admit sexual abuse happened. Your response to them will help them heal or add to their trauma.
If anyone ever opens up to you about being sexually abused, safety is number one. This can look different depending on the circumstances. You need to believe them and ask questions to learn if they are in a safe place now. Helping them find the right kind of help can be extremely beneficial, RAINN.org is the largest sexual abuse healing organization in America, they are a great first step in finding local help.
In the U.S.A., twenty-five percent of the women and 1 in 33 men, have been sexually abused. You probably know more survivors than you think. Satan likes to work in the dark, but when people learn to talk about the hard truths in sexual abuse healing, then God shines His light and transforms the broken heart. In Jesus, there is real healing. You might feel uncomfortable having such a raw conversation but pausing and asking God to direct your words will result in you being the good listener the survivors needs to open up to. Sometimes, the best thing is to listen. You don’t have to relate; you are called to comfort those who have troubles.
