Just Another Day's Journey

Photo by Perry Grone on Unsplash

Hey Family! I pray all is well with you this week.

Recently I joined a book club that is more than a book club. Let me explain. I expected to join a book club for women and discuss the book of the month. What I got was a group of women who are uplifting, encouraging, supporting, and asking questions about almost everything under the sun. It feels so comfortable and easy. Dare I say that it feels like a peaceful place. 

I believe with all my heart that the group leader and her admins pray for this group to have an atmosphere of peace and safety. I found myself vulnerably sharing truths that I would never share in any other place. Somehow I was comfortable enough to share my truth without covering up. I’m good at covering up by hiding behind words like “you and your”. I didn’t do that this time. As a result, I learned some new things about myself. I even began praying before responding to some questions within the group because I wanted to be intentional about what I was sharing and because being vulnerable can be draining and scary.

At one point without thought, I began to share something super personal. Sorry, I am not ready to share it with you yet but I promise that I will one day. I hesitated hitting post. I hesitated to share and then I clicked post. I know that was God because internally, I was screaming, “Girl! What!” I also almost deleted it, too.

As God would have it, I needed to share that super personal thing in that particular group because that person needed to know that she was not alone and that she could heal. She needed to know that she could overcome it. She needed to know that she could become healthy and whole because I was where she had been and did it. A real living breathing person, not some far off unreachable storybook perfect person. 

That interaction reminded me that we are not alone in the challenges that we face even though it feels like it. We are not the first nor are we the last to experience that pain, that loss, that guilt, or that shame. And we are not the first nor the last to survive it. We didn’t break even if we fell apart, we’re still standing. 

If you think that your story is for you, it’s not. Someone needs to know that they can make it another day. Someone needs to know that there will be another job, another opportunity, another business idea. Someone needs to know that they will find new ways to thrive in their new normal. Someone needs to know that they can build again and still honor their loss. They can start over, again. Someone needs to know that it’s not over. That this is just the beginning. They will only know it if you share your story. 

Are you willing to share your story? Encourage someone today. Peace.