10/21: Saw a re-broadcast of Hilary's interview today.. wow!5/6: This morning I listened to one of the most courageous 19 year olds. Hilary Griffith is the current Miss Arizona. Her platform is not world peace - it is titled Strength Over Silence: Rape Awareness and Recovery.
Here are a few words that she has written:
I know God was with me during the rape. I prayed throughout those 45 minutes, and I had “God thoughts” that I know were not of my own mind. I remember thinking that I needed to forgive the man that was raping me.Young people like Hilary give me a glimpse of hope for our future. Her courage and faith is inspiring. God bless her as she shares her story and overcomes evil with good.
God did not abandon me during the rape, and He has never left me since.
Christ has helped me get through the toughest time of my life. With His help, I was able to win the Miss Scottsdale pageant four days after the rape, and I have since changed my community service platform to “Strength Over Silence: Rape Awareness and Recovery.” God has opened so many doors for me to speak about my experience, share my testimony, and raise awareness about rape. He is definitely taking this awful event and using it for His glory.
Thanks so much for sharing this. Its a subject that makes people very uncomfortable but needs to be addressed. I have hesitated writing about my experience of being raped on my blog, but I've mentioned it several times. I was silent about it for about 20 years! (it happened when I was a teen).
ReplyDeleteI am grateful for this young woman sharing and using this as a platform. I didn't know God at the time I was raped, so it kind of made me doubt his existence. But I have since forgiven the men who raped me.
Because there is so much humiliation and shame involved, I didn't think anyone would help me so I kept it to myself. Sadly a few people I have told had the exact reaction I anticipated. It's a hard issue not only to talk about, but to hear about.
She is very brave, I admire a young woman who can stand up and say something like that, people need to know that a code of silence only protects the guilty.
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