The last 3 of my classes have been about violence. Needless to say, I have been thinking a lot about violence. Why are people violent? How could anyone hurt another human being like that? I think I have been extremely blessed because I have never experienced any physical violence towards me. But I don't want to be ignorant of what is going on around me. There is a lot of violence occuring against women (not to understate the violence that is happening against men!), and I wish there was something I can do. It hurts my heart to see pictures like this.

I discovered that:

*"One in three women in the world has been beaten, raped, coerced into sex or has been physically abused."

*"130 million young girls have undergone Female Genital Mutilation, mostly in Africa. Another 2 million are at risk every year."(www.thp.org/women/nov25.htm)

I can't even comprehend what it must be like to be violated in such brutal ways. I think it would be very difficult to forgive those committing the violence. And yet, I think that I am violent towards people in other ways. I judge people in my heart. I hurt people with untactful words. I wish I could do something.

"Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love." Lamentations 3:32