Neither grace nor forgiveness means letting people do what they want or giving them what they feel they must have. Grace is not a lack of restrictions. In fact, sometimes the thing that is most grace-filled is restriction.

Abuse silences victims and renders them powerless. Listening makes room for their voice and honors their dignity. As a church leader, never forget that they have honored you by coming to you. You have been seen as safe—be safe.

The pursuit of truth reminds us that no matter how much we know or how many people we help, we are always a student, a disciple undergoing training. We are not the Teacher. We are only servants of the Teacher. There is no arrogance at the foot of the cross.

We know we love our systems over God when victims of abuse who come forward to speak truth are seen as the enemy—and removing, silencing, or crushing them is labeled good because we have protected what WE say is good & God’s—blind to the fact that doing so looks nothing like Him.