Saturday, July 11, 2015

Our Declaration as Sexual Abuse Survivors



This was something that I shared on my personal FB page two years ago today (and only selected certain people to read it). I truthfully forgot that I had written this, but after having read it now, I believe that this needs to go global. With that, I’ll let you read this declaration and then I’ll share some closing comments.

(July 11, 2013)
Good evening everyone. If you see this post, that means you were selected to see this. Not everybody on FB will see this because of the gravity of this. I want you to be at peace when you read this. This was on my spirit all afternoon and I want to share something with you. I title this: "Our Declaration as Sexual Abuse Survivors." Here it goes.

Yes, we are adult survivors of Child Sexual Abuse. But you know, we're still alive. We are alive with a purpose and we have been commissioned to change the world with our voices/testimonies. We have survived the tests, the heartaches, the pain, the rejection, the neglect, the abandonment, the times when we wanted to give up on life. I don't know about you, but we have met for this purpose, to unite and save others from the miry clay of being "stuck." With that said, we who have made it out and are now on the healing side, have no right to point a finger at those who aren't where we are. Consider we used to be at that stuck period (and for some of us, we're getting closer). We as survivors need to come together, and stop declaring whose abuse and pain is worse than someone else's. All that matters is that we survived the pain and the tests, and now that test is a TESTimony. And believe me when I say this: someone who has a voice needs to hear OUR voice.

Think about it, we went through our pain (not because God didn't care about us or was punishing is) because we would be the ones that can make a serious impact within our realm of influence and the world. Can you understand the weight of that? There are many people who think they are experts of abuse who haven’t endured what we did, but as survivors, we can speak with authority and with boldness, unafraid to let others share the journey with us. Not so they can feel sorry for us, but to let them know that we have the ultimate victory. Considering many of our abusers (to include those who have neglected us and abandoned) didn't care if we died, the fact remains that we're still alive and there's a plan for our lives.

Now someone reading this might be wondering, when will I be compensated for the pain that I went through? My brother, my sister, your compensation will come as a result of you sharing your story of how you survived. Trust me, many of us never dreamed of where we would be right now. Many of us have bachelor degrees, masters and even doctorates. Some of us are writers, singers, poets, in short, we’re very creative. Can somebody get excited about this? As we share our lives with others, many people will understand they have a hope and can overcome whatever they may face. Don't fret when others don't understand or care about what you went through. Our lives are to touch those who need it. In a dying world who doesn't care about those who have suffered like we did, we have to be that voice crying in the wilderness (with love, compassion, and mercy). I can declare to you that your life (and what you've been through) is attached to somebody else. Somebody needs you and your story; don't ever doubt that!

I believe we can declare this as abuse survivors: We will go to those who have suffered, get down in the dirt with them (not to stay with them down there), pick them up and watch them blossom. We will never hurt each other as survivors with our words, for we need each other to survive. We have been ordained to this mission field because we can change the world!

(In Closing)
As I shared in a lesson I taught on Tuesday (Mental Illness and the Church’s Response), use discernment as to how much of your story you should share. If you want to hear this lesson, here’s the link:

If you want to know more of what I do (and yes, this is a plug), on the right hand column of my blog you’ll find some videos (one is a song where I sing the second verse & bridge – dedicated to sexual abuse survivors; and the other video is an interview where I share my story). I have a novel about child sexual abuse, mental illness and suicide (you can read an excerpt right here):

And by all means, if you’re a survivor and this is your declaration, retweet this, share this, and spread the word! Let’s make an impact on the world.

Blessings.

The Mayne Man