Cherish the Journey is about the various phases and life experiences women might go through and how relying on their faith and their Creator helps and encourages them. It is about knowing that life offers wonderful times of joy, love, and laughter as well as times of pain, tears, and heartbreak. It is knowing that through all of these experiences we have a God who loves us, holds us, and cares for us. It is about cherishing the journey we are given and finding the light in the darkness no matter how dark it might get.
This morning, I hit one of those dark times and I immediately knew I needed to seek out the light. I could spend the whole day wiping tears from my face and I might, as they are still flowing quite freely at the moment. But even as the tears fall, I know my God is there and He is healing this heart of mine.
We lost our adult son 5 years ago in August. I remember thinking I would never be able to breathe again without everything hurting. I would never be able to sleep again without seeing him in my dreams and crying out. I would never be able to laugh again. I would never be able to hold him again, hear his laugh again, smell his scent again, or appreciate his quick wit again. The grief was overwhelming.
The first time I laughed I was hit with a feeling of guilt. I had to remind myself it was alright to love, laugh, and move forward with life. He would want that. More importantly my God would want that. Focusing on the pain and hurt would help no one and do nothing but make me and everyone who loved me miserable. Leaning into the healing and love from above was the only answer to the pain. It was the only way to live through the pain and experience life in a positive way.
This morning, through a conversation with my husband, I was transported back in time to the loss. It was like someone punched me in the gut all over again. The pain is real but so is the healing. Yes, I cried, and I am still crying off and on. But those tears are tempered with a deep faith and understanding that God makes all things new. He heals broken hearts. He wipes away tears. He takes the broken and makes them whole.
While He may make us whole, the scars remain. The hurt and pain is a part of who we are now but the difference is in the way we view it. My hurt and pain have a purpose. It isn’t about me, it is about Him and it is about you. It is about your loss and your hurt and your pain. It is about the loss you have experienced or might experience in the future. It is about how He might use me to help you or someone else. That is what makes my hurt, my pain, and my loss, something of value.
If we allow Him to change us, to make us something more than what we once were, then we allow our pain to be part of the healing process for someone else. We recognize that broken hearts and loss are all around us. People need to be loved, cared for, hugged, and held. They need to know they are not alone. They need to know the pain won’t last forever. They need to know it will get better. They need to see us sharing the light in life's darkest moments.
Sometimes we are the ones who share the light with the broken and sometimes we are the ones who receive that light as we nurse our own brokenness through the love of God and others.
Through my loss God has taught me to watch for those who are hurting and be a light in their time of darkness. This has played out in many ways. I would like to share one of those times with you.
One day as I was leaving a mall, I saw a young lady sitting on a bench, openly sobbing. No one seemed to notice her or maybe they didn’t want to. I stopped, sat down beside her and asked if she needed a hug. She nodded and we sat there in silence just holding one another as she continued to sob. I shared my light with her that day. It was something I would not have done before. I would have never approached a complete stranger and inserted myself into their pain. That day I did and I shared my light with her, hopefully it has become a part of her healing process.
It is through our own pain we begin to recognize the depths of the pain of others.
It is up to each of us to see that pain and become a light, a true light.
Matthew 5:14-16
You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.
While we take the time to share our light with others, we must remember it isn’t about us. It is our light to share, but it is Him who gives us the light and it is Him who should be honored through sharing that light.
It is all about Him, always and forever.
Cherish the Journey!
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