Victim…of name calling, neglect, an unsafe home, parents who abused drugs, three divorces which lead to a father whose part-time participation in her life was less than stellar and two step-fathers, one good – the other, not so good, childhood sexual abuse. In her memoir “Thin Places”, Mary DeMuth shares her story, one of tragedy and triumph, of despair yet also of optimism. With gut wrenching glimpses of her childhood and how the impact those circumstances carried into her adulthood, Mary’s story is also one of faith, of healing, of love and forgiveness.
In the beginning chapters I found myself asking again, “Why does God allow such horrible things to happen to children?” That is a question that I don’t think can be satisfactorily answered according to our limited human vision. But as I continued to read, I saw how the loving and powerful touch of our Heavenly Father has healed those painful scars and restored beauty in Mary’s life. Not in a one-time, earth shattering, apocalyptic event but through time. We want the pain to end instantly, but that is not God’s way. Just as our physical body must heal from injuries over time, so must our emotion and mental healing come.
Not all of us experienced everything Mary did as a child. However, we all carry into adulthood things that happened to us as children. We are a composite of our experiences and environment. It is what we do with it that determines who we become. I invite you to read “Thin Places”. I believe you will find the beginning of your own road to healing when you do.
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