Dear Survivor: God Is Bringing Good Out Of What You’ve Experienced

Dear Fellow Survivor,

In a previous letter, I assured you that none of us has ever been alone. God has always been with us, even when the abuse we experienced was happening. So, if God was there and saw everything that was happening, why didn’t he stop it?

My mind has gone in all sorts of different directions on this. But no matter where my mind goes trying to answer this question, it always runs into a promise of God that contradicts what my mind is saying. I can’t say that God wasn’t able to stop the abuse. God is almighty. He can do anything. I can’t say that God didn’t love me enough to stop the abuse. He loves me so much that he sacrificed his Son for me. I can’t say that God thought I deserved the abuse. Jesus assures me that the abuse was not my fault.

I have reached the conclusion that we cannot know the answer to this question while we are still on this earth. But that doesn’t mean that we know nothing. Here’s something I do know from God’s Word: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28). He doesn’t say it’s good we were abused, but that he will find a way to use that abuse for good for his people. You may find that hard to believe but hear me out.

I’d like you to focus on that little word “all.” That little “all” includes everything. Nothing is excluded. “All” includes all the good things that happen in our lives. It includes all the bad things that happen in our lives. And yes, it includes even the abuse that we experienced.
What good can God possibly bring out of something as devastating as childhood sexual abuse? Well, I count these letters among the good that God is working out of the abuse I experienced. If I had never experienced childhood sexual abuse, I would not be here sharing my experience with you in the hope of bringing you some encouragement, hope, and healing.

I understand that this truth falls into the category of truths that I talked about last time: truths that we might know with our minds but struggle to believe with our hearts. But God’s promises do not depend on our belief in them for them to be true. I assure you—no, God assures you—God works all things, even the abuse you experienced, for the good of you who love him. I cannot tell you exactly how he is doing that. But I can state without a doubt that he is doing it. Cling to this powerful promise, my dear fellow survivor. Find comfort and peace in it, even if you struggle to believe it. “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.”

In Christ,
Your Brother Survivor