Imagine the uphill climb any father would have in order to forgive his daughter's sexual assailant. But with the "two-edged sword of Truth" (Science and Health, p. 458), the healing was amazingly quick. It went like this.
When my wife and I first heard of the sexual assault of our teenage daughter, my immediate reaction had to do with her health and well-being. We immediately called a Christian Science practitioner to pray for her. I suspended my business activity and focused on my daughter. I prayed to know that she had never left God's care and safety and that her purity was intact. As time went on and the police undertook their investigation, our daughter's healing process began. My wife and I met with high school administrators to address social and academic challenges that resulted from the assault. We were able to withdraw my daughter from school early, and took steps to have her attend another school the following year. Though life seemed to be returning somewhat to normal, I soon learned there was still a great demand being asked of me.
A tremendous challenge came in the form of deep sadness for my daughter. It's very tough to hear your "baby" tell a detective in detail what went on while she was being sexually violated. Graphic images in my thought haunted me. In my work as a journalist I travel around my metropolitan area spending lots of time in the car. While driving alone, I would find myself almost unaware of my surroundings or what I was doing. What had occurred couldn't be undone, yet it was so horrible. My sweet, young, creative daughter had been more than harmed. I felt a sense of hopelessness.
