YOU TOO?

The past weeks have seen a fire storm of "Me Too's".  What started as a blown whistle on an influential member of the Hollywood elite, has grown into a social media viral epidemic.  The question seems to be not who is a member of the society of "Me Too," but who is the rare individual who has never been initiated.



The fire storm has lead to plenty of discussion, and what I have walked away from almost every encounter with was a profound and deep sadness over the deep injury that has been wrecked upon more than I would have ever imagined.  The field is littered with bodies of not only women, but even men who are some point in their life have been inappropriately taken advantage of in a sexual manner.  It's not a new thing---the stories are legion for young and old alike who have been scarred.  The strong taking advantage of the weak is as old as the beginnings of time.




Why now has it come to light?  Somehow the barrier of shame has been torn down and the cleansing has begun.  We didn't talk about these things most of my life--the shame of allowing an incident to happen always sat squarely on the shoulders of the victim.  As if somehow we could prevent a stronger, more influential, more powerful, and sometimes dearly loved attacker from making their lewd advances.  Silence came from shame---the victim was the one who bore the mantle of shame and sadly--the attacker walked away with no consequences to strike again.  The mantle of shame is heavy and can only be stripped away with the admittance of what happened.  With time, the mantle becomes part of the daily uniform one would never walk out the door without.  Shame is a powerful emotion that influences the vision we have of ourselves.  It influences each and every relationship in our lives.  Until it is stripped away, we are never free from the burden of self condemnation.




Thankfully many are being released from their burden of shame by coming forward and shouting, "Me Too".  Perhaps social media is not the best place to release the mantle, but better there than never.  At some point, one must face what happened, lay the blame with the perpetrator, and walk away free from the shame of something you had little or no control over.  Swallowing the lie that somehow one is complacent becomes a chronic life altering weight.  The worst part is telling the story the first time.  When one sees they are not blamed or loved any less, the path to freedom begins.  With freedom from this unmerited shame, life begins to be lived with greater joy and renewed purpose.

SHAME on those who cross the boundary of decentness and take advantage of another by forcing uninvited advances.  There is NO justification under any circumstances for refusing to acknowledge, "No".   There is NO SHAME for the innocent victim --and hopefully freedom from this lie from Hell will lift-----when that first step of telling someone,


"Me Too"

is taken.  And the best news I have for those who have been victimized, Jesus is in the business of redemption and restoration.  He WILL deliver us from our distress!

6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
 and he delivered them from their distress.
Psalms 107:6



4 comments

  1. Hi Lulu! I was very surprised at the amount of people I knew who were harassed or abused sexually. I saw many 'me too's on my Facebook feed. It really is a rampant problem. I wonder how in the world this could ever happen in this day and age, but honestly, I don't think it will ever go away. There will always be people who are so sick inside that they have to bully and belittle in that way, and what can we do but teach ourselves and our children about boundaries and how to respect each other?
    May God heal us and help us to guide and encourage each other to realize how holy we truly are.
    Blessings,
    Ceil

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    1. AMEN, Ceil. Well Said!
      Thank You!
      Blessings to you, Friend!

      Delete
  2. I was reading Ceils' (waving to Ceil) comment. I have to say, morals and values are no longer being taught at home. Of course, this is just my opinion. Sadly, its ok to curse, its ok to dress like a hoochie mama, its ok to have an abortion, life is no longer sacred with all these murders/crimes/terror attacks, its ok not to stand for our National Anthem and so on. How sad we have become as a Nation. I think, my generation, is probably the last to know what it was like to have bomb drills and talks about morals and values and so many other things. This new generation, I just don't know, friend...just don't know.

    Another great post, Lulu. Big hugs

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    Replies
    1. I often say the break down of the family is our biggest woe in this country. It breaks my heart!
      Makes me very sad for my grands--knowing how things have changed--NOT for the better!
      Blessings!

      Delete

Your comments keep my writing and often cause me to think. A written form of a hug or a pat on the back and an occasional slap into reality---I treasure them all!