Continuing with the story of Zohara, we learn that healing begins when we take control of our own lives. 

During the night, Zohara had jumped and crawled away from the house as best she could, until she and the baby arrived at the bottom of an isolated hill. There she fell into a deep sleep.

In a dream, an angel appeared, standing in a bright light. He said to her, “Here, my daughter, take this bottle of liquid. Before you is a pool of water. Pour the liquid into the pool and dip yourself in the water seven times. Do as I say and you will be blessed.”

Zohara moved as if to take the bottle and suddenly woke up. As she looked up, she saw the angel from her dream, smiling, handing her the bottle of liquid. She took the bottle and saw the pool of water in front of her. While the angel held the baby, Zohara poured the liquid into the pool and dipped herself in the water seven times. When she emerged from the pool, a miracle happened. The hand and the leg that had been cut off were restored, and she was whole. Overjoyed, Zohara thanked the angel for his help.

As the angel gave the baby back to Zohara, he said, “In this city, there is a big house for sale that no one wants to buy. There is a good reason for that: Whoever has lived in that house has died. Buy that house at whatever price they ask for it, and I will help you. Then turn the building into a house of welcome for anyone who is poor or sad or needs help. If you follow what I say, you will be blessed.”

Zohara went to the city, bought the house and waited. The angel came to her and said, “Fill the water barrel and place it near your door. Then you and your son must go and remain in the house. Keep the doors locked and do not answer no matter who knocks on the door and no matter what time of day it is. Do not open the door.”

Zohara did everything that the angel told her to do. At midnight, she herd a loud knocking. Remembering what the angel had told her, she did not open the door. The knocking continued. Who was knocking? a snake trying to break down the door and kill the inhabitants of the house. Finally, since no one was opening the door, the snake went to the water barrel and drank all the water. Then he threw up all the water back into the barrel. But now it was filled with the snake’s poison. “Ha, Ha, Ha,” laughed the scheming treacherous snake. Tomorrow the people will drink this water and die.”

The next night, again at midnight, the snake returned to knock on the door. Again Zohara remained locked inside the house. When the snake still could not succeeded in entering the house, he again drank the entire barrel full of water, swallowing the water he hoped would poison the people. Instead he drank his own poison, and he could not even vomit it out of his body. The poison caused him to swell up until he grew so swollen that he exploded into a thousand pieces.

The next morning, Zohara, who had heard the explosion, opened the door and collected the pieces of the snake. She put them in a big pot of boiling water. After a while the flesh melted and in its place seven jewels as bright as the sun appeared in the pot. Zohara removed the seven jewels and placed one under her tongue. In her mind’s eye, she saw a treasure hidden under the floor of the house, under the very place she was standing. Digging in that place, she found an enormous treasure and became very rich.

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Healing from sexual abuse begins when we take control of our lives out of the hands of our abuser and begin controlling our own destiny. Until we decide to control our own destiny we will be controlled by our memories of the abuse and the one who abused us.

Healing requires help. The wounds of sexual abuse are too deep and profound to heal without the help of an “angel,” someone committed to listen to our pain and guide us on the path of healing. Abuse survivors need the help of a professional.

Healing requires facing “the snake” and refusing his poison. Running from our past only keeps us in bondage to it. Avoiding the painful and unpleasant task of working through our abuse allows the venom left in the wounds of our abuse to fester and infect us.

But when we embark on the journey toward wholeness and begin to experience healing the treasure of wisdom and strength hidden from us by the shame of our abuse is unearthed for us to make use of.

Sexual abuse can make us bitter or better. The choice is ours, and choose we must!