Violence and God

Today is apparently the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.  It is interesting that I have been thinking this morning about violent acts done against others and why it happens. 

I've thought a lot about and wondered about how it is that human nature can be both so incredibly beautiful and so disgustingly evil and ugly.  God was really not kidding when he decided to give us free will and we humans ran with it.  We ran and many of us never looked back at him. 

I watched the movie 12 Years A Slave this weekend and I wondered while I watched it why God let slavery happen.  I wonder if others thought the same while they watched it.  Why would a loving and merciful God allow such despicable things to happen to others?  It's not that he allowed it.  It's just that he gave us that free will to choose him or to not.  Clearly the slave owners chose the latter.  In fact, if it were not for God and the love and mercy that only exists because of him, this horrible institution would likely still be legal today. 

This makes me think about my own life and my own struggle.  Of course, not very many life experiences can compare to the evilness and horridness of being enslaved, so I'm not saying that my life experience is similar.  I am referring to the fact that human nature and free will or choice is what has caused me to go through what I have. 

We all have choices to make every day.  My father chose to abuse my siblings and I, and his choices changed the course of our lives forever.  Some of the things we went through I will never forget.  Thankfully, my memory has let go of many things.  I wonder what kind of people we would be today if he would have chose differently.  I wonder what our entire family would be like. 

I do know that he made a choice and now I have a choice to decide what to do with my pain.  Do I become depressed and cause misery to myself and others? Or, do I choose to find the good in others and help others that have gone through similar experiences?  I choose the latter.  God did not allow me to go through what I did.  He never intended for me to be hurt.  He loves me with a love that I cannot even comprehend and he saved me from my abuse.  For that, I am eternally grateful and I will not be ashamed to serve him.