The Soil of the Heart Matters
For the past twelve years, Engedi Refuge has embarked on a profound journey of offering solace and support for well over 100 women who have endured the trauma of sexual assault and trafficking. We stand as a beacon of hope and provide healing opportunities for vulnerable women seeking to rebuild their lives and process their traumas. The work we do to help survivors of sexual abuse become physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthier takes great compassion—and considerable time.
As winter turns to spring, this Earth Day, we are reflecting on the beauty and hope of new growth and flourishing, both in our natural environment and in the inner person of every precious survivor in our program.
As in Jesus’ parable of the sower and the soils in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 13, all flourishing of seed, either of faith and spirit, or of edible plant, depends upon the condition of the soil, or, as Jesus explained his analogy—the condition of the heart. Jesus perfectly describes why and how people respond to words of truth and grace, and how that response manifests in their lives.
Hearts symbolized as the ‘path’ have been trampled on, abused, abandoned, and hardened in self-defense. They cannot risk receiving a word of hope or an invitation to trust. And, sadly, no such message gets in, and nothing grows in these hearts. This is very common for many of us, and especially for criminally abused women. The best antidote is patient care and compassion, which works like water on hard ground, slowly softening the wounds of abuse and opening the heart.
Hearts like ‘rocky ground’ with a shallow layer of dirt on the surface tend to respond quickly to a new idea or kind invitation, but their hidden wounds and defenses prevent them from persevering in the Spirit, and the Word that brings inner transformation seems to die quickly. Long and deep inner healing is necessary to prepare these hearts for lasting change.
Hearts that are characterized as ‘thorny’ have a lot of competing interests. Words of the Spirit are accepted, but do not grow enough to produce fruit. There are just too many other good ideas, or shiny things to pay attention to. These hearts need a deep experience of quiet reflection, value clarification, and personal focus.
And, of course, hearts that are soft and deep are receptive and bear a lot of fruit. They are the ‘good soil’ of the Spirit. And the Lord is loving and generous with his Word and invitations to every person, no matter the condition of their heart. He is always planting the goodness of the Spirit.
Engedi Refuge is like a soil transformation farm, doing all we can to help wounded hearts receive words of hope, faith, and truth so they can experience the life of the Spirit. We specialize in serving our residents with compassionate care, trauma therapy, meaningful self-reflection, and lots of guidance and encouragement.
Many of the women who come to Engedi Refuge were first sexually abused when they were children. Some of them were victims of child sex trafficking, and most of Engedi’s residents were exploited and hurt by a person they once loved or trusted. This, combined with years of abuse through commercial sexual exploitation, can create severe trauma that leaves deep, invisible scars that stem from physical abuse, emotional neglect, sexual violence, and many compounded abusive events that can overwhelm a survivor’s ability to cope. This often leads to addictions and other repercussions that harm mental health, relationships, and overall well-being.
Trauma therapy for sex trafficking survivors involves having the courage to face feelings and not avoiding or disconnecting from them. This is why sobriety and mental health therapy is such a big part of Engedi’s program. Our addiction specialist helps the women in our program achieve and maintain sobriety, and our trauma therapists assist survivors to be able to face their emotional pain, rather than avoiding or denying it.
Over time, the women who come to Engedi Refuge can experience the growth that allows them to nourish, heal, and repair their heart soil. And since a survivor’s spiritual connection cannot be isolated from their physical and emotional reality, like a careful gardener, Engedi continues to scatter the seeds that can flourish in good soil when the conditions are right.