The giraffe and a turtle is a story that I am drawing from personal experience. I am writing this story with the hope of helping someone, especially a victim of human trafficking or domestic violence.

In many instances, victims do not speak out because of the fear of being blamed or judged. When I decided to put my face to my story, I knew that I was going to be blamed and judged. Considering the community that I came from, it is even worse to speak up. There is so much more that I want to say, but I will reserve for my upcoming book, A Living Label. Become an Insider if you want to read more directly from the book before it launches in the fall.

However, I defied the opposition. I took a step that many will not take. And, I took the shame for many who have gone through similar experience but are not willing to declare publicly because of stigma. In fact, stigma is only one part of the agony that a survivor will have to live with. Subtle threats, unspoken threats, and false accusations are a few of other dilemma that a survivor like me live with in my community. Sometimes, I wonder whether I can call certain people around me friends or family members as a result of insensitive comments and ignorance.

Few days ago, a friend encouraged me with a YouTube video from Bishop T.D. Jakes. In the video, Bishop Jakes used the analogy of the turtle and the giraffe to provide encouragement. I must confess that the video was timely. I was encouraged and even used it as a topic in a virtual support group that I host on Facebook yesterday morning.

I have listened to the message by watching the video several times. I also found shorter versions of the video, which I watched. I thought that I could encourage someone else with this message. Hence, the reason for this article.

As a way of paying it forward, I will like to encourage you today, if you feel blamed and accused unjustly. Just like Bishop Jakes suggested, perceive of yourself as a giraffe and your accusers as the turtle. The giraffe eats on the trees while the turtle eats on the floor. See yourself rising above your tragedy. Seek for help among people that will provide solace to you.

Interesting facts about the giraffe and turtle

I did a Google search on giraffe and turtle. I stumbled upon interesting facts about the giraffe. In fact, I learned that the giraffe is the tallest mammal on earth. More so, a baby giraffe is taller than an adult human being.

My findings became more fascinating when I learned that a baby giraffe can run very fast only 10 hours after birth. The turtle on the other hand has been around for over 200 million years, however, it can neither run as fast as the giraffe nor grow taller than a human being.

Bishop Jake’s video was his own personal experience with accusers. Without giving away the story, I will like to share the video below.

If you have an experience or comment you want to share, kindly share it below.

Thanks for reading. I hope to talk to you again through my blogs. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please, send me a note – fill out the contact form. I want to hear from you. You can also get my recent posts by signing up to receive updates.

Bye for now, until next time.