Linda

  I want to share a story with you this morning. This is something that’s been on my mind, and while it may make a few people uncomfortable, I hope you’ll keep reading. When I was 16, I was being sexually harassed at work. There was a man who was more than double my age who used to trap me in my work space and make rude comments while I worked, and getting away from him meant I had to walk into him because he was blocking the only doorway. The problem with all this though, besides the obvious, was that I didn’t know I was being sexually harassed. I grew up in a church environment that taught me that if this was happening it must be my fault for wearing something too provocative, and because my Christian school refused to teach sex ed, I knew nothing about sexual safety whatsoever, although I pretended I knew a great deal around my peers.
  Now I know many of you are already screaming from the rooftops, “#metoo” and getting ready to spit in the faces of every man you know, but the real person I want you to identify with in this story isn’t me. The person I want you to see in this story is Linda.
  Linda was a good bit older than me, and she was one of the supervisors in our building. One evening  I casually remarked to her that the janitor was super creepy. I was too naive to describe his actions by any other terms. Linda did not hesitate a moment though. She looked me straight in the eyes and asked me why I said that. After I told her by the whole story, she grabbed me by the arm and practically dragged me down the hall to the office of the CEO. And as if the incidents weren't disturbing enough,  having to repeat them all to a 60 year old man who owned the company I worked for was even more so. Linda stood right by my side though and encouraged me along, and after I had told my story she lashed into a full blown attack, pointing out that this was not acceptable, and (much to my surprise) that this was not the first time this man had done this sort of thing and been allowed to stay. Her fierce arguments along with my testimony were enough to sway the CEO, and my harasser was fired on the spot.
  The point I want to make in all of this is that, those of us with louder voices, more experience, and access to those with power should use those things to help and protect those who may be too timid or too naive to stand up for themselves. It’s time that all of us grabbed our neighbors by the hand and said, “I’m with you.”  We live in a world that is divided on many subjects, but that should not stop us from reaching out a hand up to those around us. Let us be more like Linda today and use our voices and our influence to bring justice and strength to those who have none. And I believe that slowly, as we pick each other up, we will see controversy and division healed. We will see people of all creeds, religions, colors, and genders come together if we simply choose to love and lift up those around us rather than walking on by stating, “that’s not my problem.”  If someone in this world is hurting or facing injustice, it’s time we make it our problem, and we make it our mission to fix it. Wherever you are today friend, know that I love you, and I pray that you would be emboldened today to step out and be like Linda.
I can’t wait to see you succeed!

~K.W.