The Brighter Side of a Darker Thing

p>Introduction

Living in the Now

Someone told me that sometimes when you are writing your story, you need to begin “where you are right now, with what God has done in your life, and move backwards from there.” Where am I now? If someone would have told me that “one day” I would be actively writing for a newspaper and getting paid to talk to the neatest people all day long, or that I would have taken the plunge to tell my story, and be transparent, by writing a book about it nonetheless, I would have most likely thrown my head back and laughed – out – loud. Seriously ... I would have laughed just like Sarah did in the Bible when the Lord said she who was barren would have a son.
And scripture says that she denied laughing (Genesis 18:15) NIV, and the Lord said, “Yes, you did laugh.”
So I think about this scripture when I think about where I’ve come from and where I am going.
One time a friend asked me what my plans were for the future, after I got a job as a reporter for The Lake Wales News.
“I don’t know where the boat is going. I just know I am in the boat,” I said.
And I laughed.
You know, I have so much to be grateful for – this life of mine. The people I’ve met, “life in the raw” I’ve experienced - I’ve been blessed.
And the “journey,” as I like to call it, has only just begun.
There’s a lot about me that at one glance, a person would never see. But then, that’s how it is with survivors.
I am a survivor and proud of it.
Survivors of sexual abuse come from all races, nationalities, genders, of all populations in every corner of the world.
I am not alone and I know it.
What does a survivor look like?
They are business men and women, farm owners, accountants, waitresses, day care workers, college presidents, city managers, police officers, homemakers, authors, artists, mechanics, and on, and on, and on.
And for many – they will never, never share their story.
One woman I know told me that after her father abused her sexually for years (and her sister), she eventually confronted him and told him that he was not going to do that to her any more. And yet, miracle of God, she cared for him in his old age.
A survivor.
I asked her how she dealt with her abuse, and she told me that “I just shut the door on that part of my life.” This amazed me.
Yet the more I think about it, I did the same thing.
There were a few people when I was in high school who knew about my abuse. As I have grown more comfortable sharing my story, countless other people now know too.
I am not writing this to tell you – if you are also a survivor of the Darker Thing – that you must share your story in like manner. Your personal calling is different than mine, and God will lead you on your own journey of healing.
And yet, I will tell you that as I sat at my kitchen table one Sunday morning and read a newspaper article which completely detailed another survivor’s story, and the things she experienced as a result of the Darker Thing, it gave me a sense of freedom. I found it encouraged me actually, to continue sharing my story.
When my mother’s family – her brother and his wife, heard I was writing my story – they urged me to “finish the book.”
“There are people who need to hear what you have to say,” said my aunt.
I look at her in disbelief, and why? I don’t know.
I bit my lip, and cried at the thought, and in fact have languished the larger part of this summer of 2012 in an effort to finish it.
And whether the manuscript will be many pages or just a few, I must finish it, for it is time to flip the light on so The Brighter Side of a Darker Thing can shine.
You see, we are created by God because He loved us. We survive because of the hope that is within us, to see brighter days.
I knew the title of this volume had to be The Brighter Side of a Darker Thing, but honestly I wasn’t sure what the Brighter Side was, for the longest time. What good could come out of this experience, this abuse, dark secrets kept hidden for so long? I pray God help me to finish this, and not only that, but that He would set the captives free. For you see, it became quite clear about a month ago.
You are the Brighter Side.
I am the Brighter Side.
Jesus is the Light Who shines on us both.
The Darker Thing was the abuse and the force behind it and serves only as a black velvet backdrop to our beautiful lives.
We have value, we have importance, we were created to do good works and to enjoy life, and love, and to have hope for a future.

“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future.” Jer. 29:11, NIV

So hello, Brighter Side.