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    Dear Survivor
    Dear Survivor
    Dear Survivor
    Ebook135 pages1 hour

    Dear Survivor

    By Michael James Emberger

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Dear Survivor is a letter from my heart to women who've been assaulted and abused. Readers have described it best:

     

    "What sets this book apart is its unflinching honesty. It doesn't shy away from acknowledging the pain and trauma survivors have endured. It recognizes that healing doesn't come from sweeping these experiences under the rug, but from embracing them, understanding them, and ultimately rising above them."

     

    "It's a guiding light for survivors, reminding them that they're not alone and that there are people who genuinely care."

     

    "This book brought me to tears several times. It made me feel so special to be a woman."

     

    "This book took me on an emotional rollercoaster of sadness, anger, frustration, love, self-worth, and self-acceptance. You did a terrific job combining them all to make an inspiring yet authentic outlook on healing from sexual trauma."

     

    "It felt like it was written just for me, and I loved it!"

     

    "I felt lifted up and seen."

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMichael James Emberger
    Release dateSep 19, 2023
    ISBN9798223698395

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      Book preview

      Dear Survivor - Michael James Emberger

      To My Sisters in Christ

      To my sisters in Christ who have suffered trauma,

      I want to remind you of your worth and value. You are daughters of God. He is King above all kings. So what does that make you?

      Royalty.

      Your worth is not defined by those who don’t believe you. You are not less because men say so. Jesus would see your pain and trauma, and He would tell you to stand proud and unashamed. God loves you. You are royalty, and that’s the image I hold of you.

      Why? Because it affects how I perceive you, and how I treat you. Yes, we’re equal in God’s eyes, but if I think of you in this way, you are to be lifted up. You are to be honored.

      Assault and trauma are things that pull you down. They are dark, and painful, and they assign words to you like victim. To me, victim is a term of less, defeated, and lowly. It’s passive. Things happened to you that you couldn’t prevent, and you suffer from them. But Survivor is a term of overcoming and living. Undefeated, rising above, and strong. A survivor lifts her eyes to hope. She puts what was done to her beneath her, because it can’t define her. She is better than it. She is royalty. God, the King, looks down and acknowledges her. He sees no fault in her.

      I know you have struggles and you probably don’t feel like a princess standing in a field of flowers with God’s love shining down on you, and so many people don’t treat you like that, but I choose to see you that way. I believe that’s who you are in God’s eyes. I believe you have indescribable joy and peace to look forward to in heaven. You are valuable. You are worthy. You are a daughter of the King.

      I See Her

      I see her holding a certificate that bears her name. She’s completed the course. She’s accomplished her goal. She’s embarking on a journey to help, and she is proud of her achievement.

      The paper in her hands says Certified. It’s signed. It’s sealed. It’s official. She is turning pain into purpose. She knows what countless others are going through. She’s been there, and she will work to reach them. She will work to help them. She’s certified for the task.

      It’s inspiring.

      She’s inspiring.

      But I look beyond that paper to the person holding it, which is her. I don’t see the wide smile of a graduate. I don’t see the joy and relief of receiving a diploma. I don’t see celebration. What I see is her eyes brimming. I see her jaw set in determination. I see the tight line of her mouth. If she opens it to speak, I think she’ll start crying.

      I see a woman who has fought to get where she is. I see her strength. I see her grit. I see the wounds she carries that she’ll never forget, and that she’s still working to heal. She is doing what she feels called to do—what she needs to do.

      ––––––––

      I see her standing in protest for missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. A red handprint covers her mouth. She is silenced, just as too many of her sisters have been. But not just as. They are gone. Their voices are lost forever.

      She is still here. A survivor.

      She is silent, but her eyes speak volumes. They haunt me. She stares, unblinking and sad, and I see her pain. I see her hurt. I see her grief. I see her trauma. I see the unfathomable cruelty and loss inflicted on her people. I see those things inflicted on her. I see into her heart, and into her soul, and they scream at me through her gaze: Why?

      There are words she cannot say. She has feelings she can’t express, and thoughts she’s unable to share. That red handprint is a symbol, but even without it, her voice has been taken away. It hurts too much to speak of those things.

      ––––––––

      I see her fighting to make a difference. She’s an advocate. She’s a warrior. She’s reaching thousands and giving her all to the cause. Her life is trauma 24/7. She speaks it. She writes it. She reads it. She lives it. She’s unstoppable, and she is going to change the world.

      When I see her, I see a survivor who has so much to say. I see a woman who has so much to share, and so much to teach, and who gives of herself to help others. She gives her time and energy. She supports. She encourages. She’s joyful and fun. She’s unstoppable...

      Except she’s not.

      I see the pain behind her smile. I see the tears beneath her laugh. She tells me of the nights she needs her husband to hold her and reassure her that it’s okay and she’s doing the best she can and it’s not her fault and he’s there for her.

      I see the times she can’t do it, and the worries that pull her down. I see the war she wages with the dragon inside. Some days, it has the upper hand.

      And I see her burning out. I see her flame flicker. She can’t keep going. She needs to stop. She needs to rest. She needs to heal.

      ––––––––

      I see her angry at God and struggling to find her faith again.

      ––––––––

      I see her wanting to heal but unable to start because he is still in her

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