Article December 2, 1996 Issue

When you've been deeply wronged ...

Gayle Miller Huizinga

Sometimes we feel we've been wronged so deeply that nothing can save us from the hurt and harm done. Nothing can save us from the cynicism created in our hearts. Nothing can ever repay the loss incurred. It may have been a family member, spouse, a once-cherished friend, fellow church member, or a trusted business associate that has hurt us. Or it may have been a large agency, an institution, or nameless hierarchy. But no matter the source of the attack, your heart can be healed and your loss recovered when you turn to God wholeheartedly for healing.

This is not shallow optimism. About eighteen years ago, my husband and I purchased a business. It was an exciting experience, but required that we go deeply into debt. We worked day and night and had many trials and financial difficulties. But we always managed to pay our employees, though we frequently delayed or missed paydays ourselves.

One key employee was a woman I considered a friend. She seemed to be devoted, working sometimes at odd hours. In appreciation, we paid her as well as we possibly could and often gave her advances and other privileges, as she seemed to have many difficulties and was a single parent with three young girls.

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