A Long Dark Tunnel

A Long, Dark Tunnel till Christ, written by K. Chaplin, is a true story about my firstborn son. It describes how, as a child, he was neglected and verbally abused by his father and physically abused and almost beaten to death by my ex-husband. As I pulled my eight-year-old son out from under his bed after he had been beaten with a piece of water hose, a power cord, and a mop stick for the better part of fifteen minutes, I held him on the floor and watched him faint on my lap. As I safely lay him on the floor, I finally found the courage to open my mouth and let my ex-husband know that if he put his hand on my son one more time, he was going to die, and I would not go to court to testify on his behalf. Then I walked into my room, held my belly, and wept till I heard a voice telling me to run through the gate and not stop. But the Spirit of God who lived inside of me was greater than the devil telling me to run. If I had run, I know I wouldn't have stopped running. I would be a madwoman today. Love and forgiveness are the most powerful things in the world because, in spite of all the abuse my son suffered from under the hands of my ex-husband, he found it in his heart to forgive him and even welcome him into his home when he needed a place to live. Even though my son struggled from a lot of emotional issues from his past, he learned to put his trust in God. His faith causes him not to let those issues determine his faith even though in times past he felt like it would be better if God could take him home, where he wouldn't have to worry anymore. But God is not through with him yet.