Guest Author - Diana Pederson

John Oarc. What Ever It Takes, God. Authorhouse. 2006.

What Ever It Takes, God was a very difficult book for me to read. It is an autobiography of a man that was sexually molested by the father of a friend. Frankly, it upsets me that anyone, male or female, has to be put through such traumas. Read what Oarc felt about this night in his own words:

I lived in the very same neighborhood after that event, playing baseball with the man who molested me, sitting in the stands watching his son plan, until he finally molested the wrong person’s kid. My statement to the police did not land the man in jail, so he just continued to live as if nothing had happened. … When he molested me he had to go to counseling sessions for a period of time. I received no counseling nor can I remember anyone suggesting it. That in and of itself makes a person wonder, what the hell? They must have known about it back then; they sent him to counseling. Why is it our society helps the abuser and not the abused? My parents thought it better to never talk about the incident, fearing it would upset me. Little did they know not talking about it left me feeling abandoned and humiliated. [Page 13-15].

People, it isn’t any different today! Children are being molested every day of every year and still, little is done until there is evidence that many children have been offended by the same person. Parents may be advised to get counseling for their child, but how many really follow through?

Oarc’s book is his personal struggle and recovery from this one act of molestation. You’ll read about all the things he does to cope with emotional pain that is buried so deep, he doesn’t even realize it is the main cause of the many difficulties in his life. You’ll wish things could be said without resorting to swearing and without giving so many personal details. You will walk through some very dark valleys with him and see him successfully come out on the other side.

Recommendation

This isn’t an easy book to read. You won’t find anything about God miraculously healing his emotions or wiping away all his problems due to his history of molestation. It is a very honest autobiography that should challenge any person who has experienced molestation or other abuse, particularly as children, to seek necessary counseling so they can heal.

Oarc’s book would be suitable reading for someone who shares the same background but hasn’t been able to bring it out in the open. This is a book that belongs in every counselor’s library so it could be handed to a person that doesn’t appear to be seriously participating in either individual or group counseling.

When I completed reading this book, I couldn’t help thinking about Christ bringing people’s hidden sins into the open so He could heal them. One incident of this was the woman at the well. Therefore, I believe God can and will use this book to help people heal from trauma that none of us should have to experience.