Kavanaugh vs. Ford: I Believe Them Both

On Friday, September 28th, I had the unfortunate opportunity to view the investigative hearing of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Since my last post, he'd been accused of sexual assault by at least three women. My first reaction was disbelief; to think that after thirty-six years, someone would come forward and accuse him of such an egregious act, was absolutely astounding. But instead of prejudging, which I must admit I did, I repented and decided to listen to Mrs. Ford testimony before rendering my thoughts.

After hearing Mr. Kavanaugh live testimony, I searched for Mrs. Ford's. That way, I could keep an open mind about her allegations. After watching Mrs. Ford 1.07 hour testimony, I listened with my heart and not my opinion. Though I'd already decided that Mr. Kavanaugh was God's man and not Mr. Trump's, I had to put all that bias aside and listen to what she had to say.

Mrs. Ford's Testimony

Photo Credit: Time MagazineHer testimony was compelling. After recounting several details, I continued to listen; except this time I was listening for truth. You see, oftentimes, when we've prejudged someone, we listen with our opinionated heads and disregard the sensitivity of our spirits. Hebrews 4:12 says, 'For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.' Therefore, instead of listening for discrepancies in her story, I was allowing the word to discern the thoughts and intents of her heart. Though I'll keep my personal assessment to myself, something did happen to Mrs. Ford. But the unfortunate part about it, is that I don't believe it wasn't done by Mr. Kavanaugh. I know that sounds strange, but that is the only way I know to explain it. And I know what you're thinking. How could she not know? To that, I don't know. But I agree with Mr. Kavanaugh's assessment when he said that he believed something did happen to her; just not by him. When he said that, I found that quite unusual for an accused man to say that. Because oftentimes an accuser will deny vehemently that anything happened. They'll even call their accuser an outright lie. But Mr. Kavanaugh did not. And as opposed to blindly believing his side of the story, I listened with my heart and allowed the word to discern, and I must say I agree.

My Own Experience

Unfortunately, I have had my own experience with sexual assault. My second experience happened when I was 13. I made the mistake of going to the apartment of a 36-year-old man. When he opened the door, he greeted me wearing nothing but a robe and boxers. Fortunately, I've always been unusually strong. That strength came in handy because I literally had to wrestle with him just to get out of his apartment. Fast forward, thirty five years and the same man followed me as I was walking to the store. He drove by with his catcalls to which I ignored. He then proceeded to get out of the car and chase me. It wasn't until I called him by name that he realized I already knew what he was after. As he drove away, I couldn't help but wonder how many other women he'd done the same way.There was also the time after my high school prom that I was so drunk, I passed out. A close male friend of mine told me in a roundabout way that a few of my supposed homeboys had their way with me while I was out. I didn't understand the severity of his words until now. So, please know, I do not share this haphazardly.

History Makers My heart goes out to Mrs. Ford because her life is forever changed. She didn't ask for any of this. Yet she has been swept into a movement and will forever be marked. To her, I commend and admire the courage it took to come forward. And as opposed to trying to defend Mr. Kavanaugh's drunkenness or college behavior, I'll simply say this. As confusing as it sounds, I believe them both. And for the two, I will keep in my prayers and ask God to cover and keep them as they stand on the opposite ends of history.