Page 46 of Abandoned

“Even the quote-unquote perfect little homeschooled girls can have sordid pasts. Plus, you weren’t a believer then.”

“While Christ is all-sufficient, and I know His forgiveness is immediate and complete, accepting Christ was the easy part. Changing my ways is taking a lot more work.”

“Sanctification is a life-long process.”

“I don’t think I know that word yet.”

“Sanctification. It’s the process we go through to become more like Christ. It’s the change He works in our lives. It doesn’t happen overnight; that’s for sure.”

“Sometimes I wish it worked that fast, but I’m glad to know it’s not just me.”

“Nope. You’re in good company.” Will stretched his arm across the back of the couch.

Zara played with the straw in her smoothie. “Will, I promised I’d tell you about the depths of my fear, and I’ve been trying to get a handle on what it all comes down to. I think I figured it out, at least sorta. It’s probably best not to try and shrink your own head, but I’ve gone and done it. For better or worse.”

He waited, but she was quiet.

“I can’t find the right words though.”

“Would it help if I asked questions?”

“Maybe.” She sank into the couch until she bumped into his arm.

“Start with the closet doors.” He brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

“That’s it.” She met his eyes with a smile.

“How so?”

“You already know my dad wasn’t the most upstanding citizen, but I’m not sure I’ve ever told you that he left when I was six.”

“That had to be hard.”

“Yes, but a blessing at the same time. Not that I realized that for a long time, but there’s more to it. When he was mad at my mom, he’d take me to the closet in my bedroom, grab my Walkman and headphones, and tell me to be quiet. After that, he’d lock me in.”

Her body shuddered.

His heart wrenched. Hoping to comfort her, he dropped his hand to her back.

“Most of the time he’d come let me out, but there were a few times he forgot before he left for the bar or wherever he disappeared to. Mom was always too distraught after their fights to come get me.”

“What was the longest you were ever in there?”

She slid a little closer to him. “The day my dad left for good. He locked me in the closet, they fought—even over my music I could hear them—and I remember covering my head with my pillow and trying to sing to drown it out. But then he left. I think my mom left the house too. When night came, I tried to get out, but I couldn’t. They’d forgotten about me. It wasn’t until the next evening my mom found me.”

Will set his smoothie cup down, took hers, and put it beside his. Drawing her against his chest, he wrapped his arms around her. The anger he felt toward her parents was only dwarfed by the compassion he felt for the woman in his arms. How could parents forget their child?

He ran his hand up and down her back, hoping she wouldn’t notice how they trembled. “I’m so sorry, Zara.”

She breathed deeply and sank into his embrace. “I can’t change what happened, but I hope to find some healing. Nothing has worked, but Jesus is doing something in me. I’ve never been able to admit what happened to anyone. Not that anyone else has ever cared enough to hear me out. I always claim the doors are an aesthetic thing.” She pushed off his chest and met his gaze. “But look, I actually told you.”

He moved his hands to the sides of her face. “Thank you for trusting me.”

“Thanks for being trustworthy. So, you can see, I’ve got issues.” She leaned her face into his right hand.

He let his other move down her neck and arm, all the way to her hand. Lacing his fingers between hers, he said, “God is the Great Physician. He is the only One Who can heal your wounds.”

He drew Zara toward him until their foreheads touched. “Dear heavenly Father, thank You for hearing us, for being our Father. I pray for this beautiful daughter of Yours that sits here with me now. Bring healing to her soul. Do Your awesome work. Help me to know how to help. I want to guide her to You. Make me the man she needs me to be. Help her to feel Your comfort and hand on her life. In Your holy and precious name, amen.”