"Never Be Afraid to Cry Out"

Deuteronomy 22.25-26a, 27 The NET Bible

“But if the man came across the engaged woman in the field and overpowered her and raped her, then only the rapist must die. 

“You must not do anything to the young woman - she has done nothing deserving of death …for the man met her in the field and the engaged woman cried out, but there was no one to rescue her.”

When my boy was ten years old, he was a little lamb. He wqs blameless in almost every way. He proved his innocence every time he opened his mouth and expressed wonder at the world around him. I delighted in this child... his goofy smile, his pure heart, his ability to cry when someone else got hurt. The kid was so unlike me. I was a rowdy pre-adolescent. My boy was, and remains to be, even as he now dispenses his duties as an officer in the United States Air Force, a gentle, genuinely kind, and loving Christian man. He is a pure soul and a pure delight to my soul. I cannot imagine how I would feel if anyone intentionally tried to hurt this tender guy.

It was impossible to protect my son from the suffering small inequities common to all children. He experienced the ruthless reality of pain, betrayal, loss, and disappointment, but I trid to keep him from growing up too quickly. Life’s harshness and my son's purity would soon collide. Loss of virtue would inevitably happen. 

My wife and I instructed our son to speak up loudly should he ever suffer a serious violation at the hands of a bigger, stronger individual. He should say something even if he tought an adult was out of line. We encouraged him to trust his instincts and never be afraid to make noise when he sensed something is wrong. I wanted him to learn appropriate emotional and physical boundaries so that if or when they when transgressed, he would instinctively cry out for justice.

There is place of child-like innocence somewhere inside of you and me. We must protect this sacred place at all costs. Jesus resides with you there. It is a wonderful place where purity and cleanness reside. You may have given your innocence away by your own free will, but no one should ever be allowed to forcibly take it from you. If anyone tries, blow the whistle, even after the incident. Scream out from your soul. Make some noise. You have “done nothing deserving” of this treatment. 

Resist their attempts to dominate you. Cry out for justice. You will be heard. Jesus will send His angel to protect you. He will rescue you.

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My youngest son is no longer ten years old, but he still exhibits a purity of heart that seems to me to be quite rare in most twenty-somethings. I sense it will continue. His mother, my dear wife, died of Leukemia about seven and a half years ago. She would be so proud of our son.
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