After viewing The Scarlet Cord at ArtPrize, a young teen fell into my arms. I held her and drew her head close as she cried.
A couple of minutes later, she pulled away and, then, she quickly embraced me again. Her words tumbled out so quickly that a couple of different times I had to retrace her story to gain understanding of the deep heartache that gushed out.
At 13, she had been raped by an older adult and another teen. A couple of years later she encountered another abusive relationship. Pain and devastation marked her young life.
Our conversation shifted as we began to discuss healthy strategies and specific steps she could take towards healing and restoration. For starters, I commended her for her courage to talk about her sexual exploitation. We discussed options on how to build healthy boundaries with men.
I gave her a phone number of a professional counselor who could help her. I also encouraged her to tell a trusted family member about the traumatic events she had suffered. We also talked through whether or not to contact the police about the sexual crimes committed against her. “Don’t tell anyone” threats had been controlling her.
Finally, I mentioned how a football coach doesn’t put an injured player back into the game until the physical injury has been healed. In the same way, I said that dating may not be a healthy choice for her until she experiences more healing. She agreed.
After carefully reviewing how the sexual crimes committed against her weren’t her fault, we touched on her struggle with shame. A 45-minute conversation at ArtPrize didn’t solve all the struggles this beautiful young woman was facing, but as we parted, she seemed determined to take some positive steps. When we embraced one last time, it was with a light-hearted hug.
