Evil can't destroy being made in God's image

It has been a while since I have written about mental health, my own journey dealing with depression and anxiety continues. I see my psychologist about once a month, and my psychiatrist about once every three months. My time between visits I continue to implement the things I have learned and explore books and articles. One of the passions I picked up along the way is understanding abuse and how it affects the way we live. Some paths I have looked at have been war and how the hell of it spins a life time of recovery for many who lived through it. After reading Elie Wiessell’s book Night in one of the classrooms I worked in, I am convinced the book should be read by young adults, but below 15 I think it is a tough read. Wiesel chronicles not just the brutal deaths and experience in the holocaust, but I think he shares what the extreme abuse does to the human soul.

Victor Frankel shared how faith grew in the death camps and Wiesel shares how his own childhood faith was destroyed. When you read Night he shares many who prayed and lived their faith in the worse of conditions, but for Elie his spiritual struggles were shaken. Many who prayed died, and Elie shares the breakdown of life itself. In face of evil how would we respond? At 60, I would not have survived. Survival itself wasn’t based on reason, but on the evil forces at work on a world wide scale. Elie’s was broken, yet he moves in faith as he prays for his father on page 87. Listen to his words:

“My God, Lord of the Universe, give me the strength never to do what Rabbi Eliahou’s son has done.” The Rabbi’s son gave up on his father who fell behind in a death run to the next camp to save his own hide. Elie’s father demonstrated great love for his son, giving his son everything he had so Elie could live. Elie wanted to do everything he could to help his dad live. The evil generated by Hitler and his thugs overtook Elie’s father, but they could not take away the love between the father and son. Elie’s prayer I believe was answered.  

War and abuse of any kind is hellish, and our responses to it are multi layered. It may take the rest our lives to recover from it, but is worth it. The violin player in the book, was playing Beethoven before he died, I will never hear Beethoven the same again. Hitler and hosts of evil cannot take away that me are made in the image of God. They may take our lives but not our souls.

Health may be poor, hope may be weathered by life’s trials but we are created in the image of God. We can pray in faith; we can take the start right where we are. Life is more than our brief journey on the third rock from the Sun. Keep walking