Hearing the stories of survivors of sexual abuse is never easy. I had the chance to do so just last week as part of this project. How do you console someone who not only was robbed of something so personal but was made to feel bad about it by those who should have protected them?
In their eyes, you can see how their life was completely changed by the event. An event that came upon them one day and caught them in the cold like unexpected rain. An event that for them scarred the image of intimacy that every human desires.
And yet, in them I see a unique strength. A strength that refuses to back down in the face of pain and danger. A strength that determines to see evil fall and good prevail. Because somehow, in the middle of all this, they choose to believe there is still good.
I also see a fresh perspective and unique open-mindedness in their spirits. They do not judge, because they remember how it felt when they were judged. They are open to new ideas because they had to fabricate new ideas themselves in order to survive their ordeals.
They are truly the definition of “survivors”. They have gone from wishing they would never have to wake up to rising in the morning ready to help others.
So if you are in the situation that my friend was in all those years ago, do not give up. There is hope, and it will get better. Keep fighting. Find your people. And believe in that soon coming dawn.