Article July 21, 2014 Issue

A woman responds to a violent attack

Lois Carlson

A version of this article was originally published in The Christian Science Monitor.

The gang of teenagers who beat me up that early spring night wanted my purse. But the intensity of the kicking and the fierceness of the blows with the metal object spoke the desperation of their lives. I don’t know how they felt about women, but I experienced the authority of true womanhood as I lay on the sidewalk.

All I could pray was “Thank you, God, for being with me. Thank you for being with the boys.” Whatever the mental darkness, stupidity, or lack of mental independence that spurred the attack, it was not part of their divine nature as children of God. Even though we had experienced a brutal exchange, I knew that our real relationship was in God’s family, and I prayed that they could feel that blessing and transformation.

After about half an hour I was able to roll over, and what I saw took my breath away. In this part of town there were not many of those orange lights that block out the sky views. And in the darkness, spread out before me was a magnificent display of galaxy upon galaxies of stars. It was clear to me that just as the order of the solar system had not been disrupted, so God’s loving government of creation had not been interrupted by the attack. I felt the overwhelming peace of being loved, held, cherished by God.