WOODSVILLE, N.H., July 12, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- In a story about the power of Christ's love, Beth Nelson's Cup of Bitterness Cup of Joy (now available through AuthorHouse) describes the very different lives of two women dealing with the inner anguish of sexual molestation and the happiness they finally achieve decades later.
Elizabeth Westcourt is a rural pastor's daughter. Mara Livingstone is the child of the town's only prostitute. The two first meet as children at a puppet show and are reunited 56 years later at a wedding that joins their two families.
As a girl, Elizabeth experiences the terror of sexual molestation when she is left with a babysitter during a family emergency. For years the abuse causes pain, guilt and shame. Elizabeth deals with her pain by looking to God for guidance and comfort. Her fiance also teaches her to love and trust again.
Mara endures years of physical and sexual torment, which begins with abuse by a man living with her mother. She later moves in with a teenage fugitive and his foster mother, where she begins to resist the people the Lord ushers into her life, Nelson writes. She finds herself in a mission with no memory of the events that brought her to such a desperate state. Eventually, Mara also discovers the solace that comes with faith.
When the two women are reunited, the bitterness that has plagued their lives dissolves. Contentment and happiness replace their sorrow.
Cup of Bitterness Cup of Joy is a heart-wrenching story about lives damaged by sexual molestation. It offers victims a story of hope and provides all readers with an illustration of the many ways God intervenes in people's lives, Nelson writes.
Nelson, the daughter of a New England pastor, was sexual abused by a babysitter as a child. Through college, marriage and work experiences in teaching and counseling, she has interacted with many victims of sexual abuse. She hopes her message helps all people dealing with the trauma of molestation.
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