An August 2013 news story reported the demolition of a Cleveland house where three young women had been held captive, raped, beaten, and tortured for a decade. After their escape ,the city was having their “house of memories” destroyed.
Bystanders were cheering as the house was razed. One of the former captives had revisited the site early that morning, releasing balloons to commemorate her survival and freedom.
That news story reminded me of an incident a friend shared: “I got really good news about my childhood home today,” he said. Knowing his story, I was not surprised by what followed: “I was told that the house I grew up in has been torn down!”
My friend was physically, emotionally and sexually abused as a child. He spent years dealing with the crippling results of his past, allowing God to take him down the journey of forgiveness and restoration. The destruction of his “house of memories” served as a reminder that the power of his painful past had been broken by God‘s healing love.
I have my own “house of memories”. I’m on a journey, healing from a past that includes sexual abuse and a lot of dysfunction.
My memories of abuse don’t come remotely close to what countless others have endured. But my memories are still significant and important. They are still painful. On a particularly tough day of dealing with those memories, an image formed in my mind ; a large backhoe taking a huge bite out of the room where I was sexually abused. The thought that “this house needs to go away!” brought me comfort.
But my freedom from past pain is not dependent on that house being destroyed. What truly matters is that God is destroying the self-protective walls that I had built in my heart through the years. Walls of un-forgiveness, bitterness, self-contempt, and pride that I had erected trying to protect and heal myself.
Although there are days that I try to rebuild those walls, there has been a lot of healing. And as each wall comes down, my hunger for complete closure and cleansing increases, even as I realize that the memories and effects of abuse will never be completely eradicated… in this life.
But there is assurance that my house of memories, both the actual building, and the resulting personal damage, will eventually be completely gone. Assurance that is for all who put their trust in Jesus: “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away….God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes…. He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new! …It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.’” (Rev 21: 1-6)
That closure, that cleansing, will be complete. Final. Perfect.
No house of memories will be able to stand against the One Who makes all things new!
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