This morning I heard an interview with the sister-in-law of a woman murdered by her husband in B.C. only weeks after her marriage. The husband claimed that she died in a home invasion but she was actually the victim of domestic violence. It turned out that he had been abusive to women in the past. Shortly after his wife's death he took his own life.
The sister-in-law spoke of the sadness of the woman's death and her sense of loss, but went on to say that this was God's will.
It was not God's will! There is no room for fatalism about domestic violence. It is not "meant to be" and it cannot be tolerated in any form. It isn't just physical violence that leaves scars. Studies show that systematic, ongoing verbal and psychological abuse are as serious an issue as physical assault. My wife, Ruth, works for Bethesda House, the shelter for women and children in Bowmanville, and she hears the stories of soul-detroying manipulation and intimidation.
It is God's will that we enter into relationships where mutual respect and love will flourish. Of course there are no perfect relationships and conflict occurs in even the best marriages. Still our goal has to be security and well-being.
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