April Is National Child Abuse Prevention Month; Is Anybody Listening

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. There has been much research that has identified the factors known to prevent and reduce child abuse and neglect. There is one thing all man’s research does not identify. They fail to identify why abuse happens. It is because of sin. Is anybody listening to this truth?

These factors include parental resilience, nurturing and attachment, social connections, knowledge about parenting and child development, social and emotional competence of children, and concrete supports for parents. These are all good and helpful things, but they do not cure the problem of sin.

Abuse is a direct result of man’s sin. Man’s sin is in not listening to God’s Word and believing. Our children, being the most vulnerable members of our society, are always the first to suffer for the sin of others. Our inability to listen and pay attention to their cries for help are a direct consequence of our not listening and believing in a loving God who has spoken to us through His Son.

John 17:7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.

Mathew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

God still has a problem! Is anyone listening to Him? Nearly everyone has a copy of His book. It is what He has chosen to say to us about Himself. I am amazed with this book, for it tells of the grace and mercy our creator extends to His beloved creation. It is like a great song on the radio. It is beautifully orchestrated and woven into a glorious masterpiece of His loving devotion for us. The artistry and the perfectness with which He shares who He is with us, overwhelms me. God has something to say to us. Are we listening to Him?

The language of it, the symbols, the parables, the many stories of how God seeks to redeem His creation; it is all written looking towards the hope found in His Son Jesus Christ. God works through men to achieve His purposes. His written Word to us gives us many examples how He has worked through men who listened to Him and believed in what He said.

His greatest work was done in One man. He was a man fully human and yet fully divine. He died between two thieves. All the work God has done through mortal men, lead us to this one act of grace done through His Son on a cross at Calvary. If we listen and believe, He will forgive us of our sin that leads to death.

If we believe, we will be overwhelmed with the desire to share it with those who have not heard Him. Many are hurting. Sin especially hurts the young and most vulnerable; our children. Many are poor, disadvantaged, and suffering; not just our children. They feel no one is listening or paying any attention to them. We all can identify with feeling at some point in our lives no one was listening to our cries.

Listening to the cries of those who are hurting, or being hurt, starts with listening and believing in the Word given to us by our heavenly Father.

How can you better listen to God’s Word and believe? How can you listen better to the unspoken cries of people, especially children, who are crying out for help that need also to listen to Him?

Is Anybody Listening

When I cry out in the night
 When I pray to see Sonlight
When I look like I’ve been in a fight
    Is anybody listening
 
When I tremble from the fear that grips me
When the guilt overcomes me for what I have done
When the footsteps I hear are coming so near
    Is anybody listening
 
To the look on my face
Or my voice when it shakes
Or my mind when it won’t wake
    Is anybody listening

To the fear in my eyes
How I hide all the lies
Or the loneliness I disguise
    Is anybody listening
 
When I’m wishing my life had never begun
 When all I want to do is run
When I feel nothing and my mind is numb
    Is anybody listening
 
When I say it was an accident again
When I pray that this pain will finally end
Or when I have no one to call my friend
    Is anybody listening

To the tears I have shed
To the life I have led
Or the tears that have bled
    Is anybody listening
 
Is anybody looking closely enough
Is anybody praying long enough
Is anybody loving me enough
 
To listen to the sounds of a broken heart
 
All I want is someone strong enough
To wipe away all my tears
All I want is someone big enough
To take away all my fears
All I want is someone to love me for me
For who I am and not wish to gain
 
When earthly ears don’t care enough to hear
When earthly eyes are on a much different prize
When earthly cares are much unawares
 
There is one who sees through your disguise
There is one who is listening to your cries
There is one who knows all about the lies
There is one who loves you
He showed it between two thieves as he died
 
Is Anybody Listening?
 
Vasquez Savage

[artwork by TSArt: www.fanartreview.com/TSArt]