It was pitch black and pouring rain on the night of Alice and her sons’ escape. Alice’s husband had become violently abusive and Alice had put up with his beatings for a long time. Initially, Alice thought it was best to have her two sons raised by both parents, but she began to grow fearful of the safety of her children. One day, she finally gathered the courage to leave her abusive household behind.
On the stormy night of the escape, Alice and her sons were lead by a series of phone calls from Alice’s father. Each call directed them to another location, which ultimately led to a shelter for the night. The next day, the rain stopped, and Alice and her sons stepped into the sunshine to take a walk. For the first time, they felt free.
Matthew was so inspired by this story, that he wrote a song about it called, Into the Light. It is Matthew’s hope that Alice’s story and this song will encourage anyone else secretly trying to cope with an abusive spouse to speak up, get help, and step into the light. Further, Matthew hopes that Into the Light can be a metaphor for any storyteller to step out of the darkness and tell their story, because our God is the Light of the World!
