By Josh Gilman:
What is the worst sound in the world?
Nails on a chalkboard? The fire alarm? A 3rd grade violin recital?
Those are all horrible. But I would suggest it is not the single worst sound in the world. The worst sound in the world is the scream of someone you love.
Yesterday, I was working on a presentation on the reality of evil when I heard a sound that immediately sent chills up my spine. It was my wife slipping and falling down the stars with our 6 month old son in her arms. I’ll tell you right now that everyone ended up ok, but not before an ambulance ride to the children’s hospital and multiple checkups to make sure our son was indeed alright.
But I’ll never forget the sound. My little son screaming in fear and pain, and not knowing if he was ok.
Last night I read Jessica Harris’ book Beggar’s Daughter. It’s about 200 pages and I read it in 2 hours flat. It tells her story of porn addiction and the long painful journey to freedom. But the majority of the book details the years and years of frustration as her plight went unacknowledged, as porn addiction did everything it could to ruin her life and lead her to destruction. Nobody would pay attention to her cries for help because “women just don’t struggle with these things”.
Jessica’s story is that of the Jerusalem man, beaten up, robbed and left for dead as others walked on by. Except that in her case, the priests walked on by, not because she wasn’t unworthy of help but because they refused to believe she was wounded.
They were deaf to her screams.
I’m a fast reader but even by my standards I was racing through Beggar’s Daughter pleading with these people I do not know, “WHY CAN’T YOU HEAR HER! ”. Finally somebody did. Finally somebody, and not just one person but more than one, listened and cared and the healing and the journey to victory could begin.
Fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, teachers, pastors & priests. You need to listen for it. 6 out of 10 girls will be exposed to pornography before they are 18. Porn addiction is a reality for 1 out of every 2 women in our society. It’s affecting the women & girls in our churches, schools, & homes. And they are crying out for help. But if you don’t believe that they could even need help you will miss it.
That’s all it takes. To listen. Because when you hear the screams of the ones you love you will be galvanized to act. It was a long string of “coincidences” that led me to work from home yesterday so that the second I heard that scream I leapt up and was at my wife’s side before she could even call my name. Just be there. Be aware. Know that your wife or daughter, sister or friend might need you to be listening for her screams of fear and pain. You will HATE the sound of it, but you will be so glad that you did.