Article October 26, 2009 Issue

SAFE FROM ABUSE

BY GINNY LUEDEMAN

THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE on Domestic Violence says that in recent years 85 to 95 percent of all domestic violence victims have been female, though there are reports of abuse toward men, as well. It's also reported that domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women, who are more likely to be attacked by someone they know rather than by a stranger.

In some cultures, abuse within families has been an accepted form of control or discipline for centuries, and where that isn't the case, often a silent history of abusive behavior is passed from generation to generation, quietly and behind closed doors.

But no matter what the statistics say about abuse and its history, abuse is not an inescapable condition. There is a divine law that lifts the dark and hidden shadows of abuse and sets everyone free to discover that they are the loved and safe children of God.