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
