TALITHA CUMI
To the wonder lust, The assaulted. The prostitute. To the hidden. The adulterer,The destitute. To the woman whose innocence was forced into surrender. To the one who was told her value was subject to a number. To the liar, the whore, the hands stained red. To honor, the keeper, the prudent one in white. To the ugly, the pretty, the beautiful. To the nasty, the guilty, the pitiful.
This is for you.
I’m familiar with the scarlet tag exposed on your chest. I’ve been accused by the guilt that crawls up your tattered dress. I know all too well what caused this filthy mess. It may seem safer in the shadows to craft your nest, but instead, find haven in the openness. Shout to the skies and they’ll listen as you confess. Release your cry to the universe and gaze as each star aligns. Illuminate the pain, allow your scars to shine. Sleep no longer little girl, talitha cumi, arise.
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THE STORY BEHIND THE VIDEO:
At the beginning of the month, me and my teammate Madison asked our host, Elijah, to pray for prophetic names from the Bible to give us. After a few days he sat with us and gave us our names. Mine was Tamar.
I was not familiar with her story but when I read it, I was far too familiar with it. I didn’t like it. It’s like I was mad at Elijah for hearing so clearly from God. She’s found in 2 Samuel 13. It’s a painful story where she gets sexually abused by her brother. Thankfully this is not the parallel in our stories, my brothers are amazing. However, I did resonate with what she says in verse 13, “Where would I hide my shame?”
It feels like I’ve physically wrestled with this my entire life. Every time I feel like I’ve won the shame game, it has a way of creeping it’s way back into the atmosphere. But after talking to my girl Ashley and praying about it, I could tell this time it was different. It was clear that God very intentionally gave Elijah that name for me. All month God has been bringing up shame in different ways; but, now I realize it’s because He wants me to do something with it. To flip the coin on its head and build a platform around helping others find relief from its manipulation.
Before I knew it, I was creating a video for a woman’s night at church that my teammate Macy (freaking amazing powerhouse woman) put together for the community. She is our Beauty for Ashes coordinator, which is a ministry that travels to different countries hosting events for women. I asked her what she wanted the video to be about and, naturally, after praying about it she said shame. No surprise there. I see you God. (Not slick).
But He actually gave her the word “shine”. So we collabed and came up with this video about letting your scars shine. I believe the best way to defeat shame is by bringing it to light. By exposing your truth for what it is and allowing God, community, and light mend your brokenness.
The night ended up being absolutely amazing. There was dancing, singing, crafts, storytelling, laughter, and a lot of tears. The Spirit was alive in that room and I could tell there were a lot of hearts healed. Women opened up about there biggest secrets, places of pain, and how they view God in light of what they’ve been through. It was beautiful.
It was an honor to make this video. It just might be the inception of something greater.
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good news to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”
–Isaiah61:1-3NKJV
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Thank you so much for reading and following along my journey!
Much Love,
Stella
IG: @stellaagee
YouTube: Stella Udeozor
