Christian Counseling as Spiritual Formation - Part 1
By Laura Taggart, MFTI

Take a moment to consider the context in which sexual abuse occurs. The very nature of the sin of sexual abuse is that it occurs in private. There is always a direct or indirect communication to the child to keep the abuse a secret. Even in the scripture, 2 Samuel 13:20, Tamar is admonished by her brother, Absolom, to remain silent about the sexual assault she experienced at the hands of her half-brother, Amnon. One in four girls is sexually abused by the age of 14. Have you ever wondered how a teenage girl who has been sexually abused experiences admonitions about sexual purity? Do you think she feels she can break the silence in order to allow the healing to begin? I think you’ll agree that there is a huge wall of silence around the issue of sexual abuse. The abuser acts in secret and works to maintain that secret. What is the result of all this secrecy and silence? Frankly, it breeds an environment in which child abuse can continue to occur. It also prevents healing for those who have been abused. Scripture tells us that Tamar remained desolate in her brother’s house. What an awful place to live… And yet, that is exactly the way many victims of abuse live much of their lives. Ecclesiastes 4:7 reads “A time to be silent and a time to speak.” As a survivor of abuse, speaking and telling your story is immensely healing when you are heard with respect and genuine caring. Breaking the silence enables you to break free of the shame and secrecy that keeps you isolated and makes it possible to get understanding and help.