Silent Stalker

by

Rebecca Somoskey

(Loneliness)

She knew his name all right, but she didn’t expect he would pay her a visit so soon. Others, sure. But not her. She could get along just fine by herself. After all she had a safe place to live, a dependable income and her babies. What more could she need.

Then he began his relentless assault. When night came and everything grew quiet he slithered in. He was like a cancer eating away at her soul. And no matter how she resisted with all her sensible declarations, he continued his brutal onslaught. Oh, he never said anything. He just wrapped his invisible sleazy fingers around her heart and squeezed until she was sure she would die. She couldn’t break his strangle hold. She imagined it was like drowning in the ocean.

That was when she became addicted to television. She was willing to do whatever it took to make her forget, to make the pain go away, so she stayed up till way passed midnight and watched all the ungodly, unholy shows and movies that were available. That brought the hunger. Hunger to be caressed, held, understood, and to have her intense cravings satisfied. She fantasized about affairs with men she knew, and even initiated a couple of encounters. But the guilt she bore was even more painful, especially when she looked into the face of her innocent children.

Her nights became almost sleepless and she grew so weary it began to affect her job and her relationships with everyone around her. But she had to have rest, so she tried having a little drink every night before going to bed. One drink didn’t help much, so she added another, then another.

Early one morning she was awakened by her eldest son. He was crying and shaking her as hard as he could. “Mommy, mommy, brother’s sick. You gotta wake up and help him.”

By the time she got brother to the emergency room he had a full blown case of croup and was immediately admitted to the hospital. The doctor informed her that if she had brought him in sooner he wouldn’t have had to be admitted. She knew then she had to get off the alcohol.

So she turned to food. Every night before going to bed she had a quart of ice cream and a half pack of cookies. That masked the pain temporarily, but soon ballooned into overeating all day and far into the night, until she was unable to get into any of her clothes. She become lethargic and unable to function properly on her job. Mistake after costly mistake eventually took it’s toll and she was fired.

After that she became a bitter, over-weight, self-centered mother who cried herself to sleep every night and sometimes took her frustrations out on her children. One day she would blame myself, then the next day she would blame her children’s father. She closed her curtains, locked her doors and went outside only long enough to shop for food and do the necessary duties for living. But the Stalker was still there, slowly destroying her life.

That’s where the Lord found her.

I can identify with this story!!!

Perhaps you can too. If so, let me share some ways to counteract the attacks of the adversary in your darkest hours.

1. Take Jesus as your silent partner. He will fill that void left by your earthly companion. Isaiah 54:5 “For your Maker is your husband. The Lord of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.” (NKJV) To get to know Him (just as you did your earthly companion) spend time with Him through Bible reading and prayer. See: Psalm 147:3 and Matthew 11:28-30

2. Find a good church family. They will undergird you in your weakness. Psalm 68:5-6 “A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation. God sets the solitary in families.” (NKJV)

3. Stay active with your children. Focusing on their needs, school work and recreation can fill some of the lonely hours and minimize the pain they are also experiencing from their loss.

4. Exercise and eat right. A healthy body helps to have a healthy mind and spirit, which are prerequisites for battle with the adversary.

5. Read wholesome books. No Romance, for even Christian romances can open up old wounds and bring more pain.

6. For more help visit www.family.org and click on the Single Parent Resources link. Here you will find help for almost every problem you may encounter. Such as: Finances, Fatigue, Grief Recovery, Anger, and much much more.

With these helps you can banish the Silent Stalker from your world.