The past four weeks at church we have been talking about "Hope in a House of Blues". We all deal with troubles from the past that seem to weigh us down as we attempt to move forward. One of the biggest parts for me from this sermon series was naming my hurt. It is strange how we hold our pains inside and dare not to tell others; fear of being judged, scrutinized or even laughed at. I took the leap and named some of my hurts to a friend. The words flowed out and I felt so relieved to have named some of these pains and to find out that my friend has suffered from these pains as well. I truly felt that God had put this person in my life so that we could be here for each other through life's pains and triuphs.
Now that I have named some of my pains....I am able to deal with them and minimize them to the size that they truly are. Sometimes when we hold our pain inside it begins to feel gigantic and unmanageable. We begin to have regret and hate towards these things and I truly believe that the pain and hate start to bleed over over into other parts of our lives. Now my pains are able to be held in the palm of my hand. I feel as if I am able to dissect them and over come them, forgive and move on in a positive light. For once I have hope that my dark cloud is not going to weigh me down in aspects of my life. I actually get a bit giddy when I think about relinquishing this fear and pain inside of me.
Take some time to think about pains that you are carrying with you. Whether it be a loss of a family member or friend, loss on innocence or even the loss of trust. Reach out to someone and name your pain. Pray with them. Tell them so they can not only listen but offer a helping hand. You will be amazed what God can do in your life. Being able to restore hope in your heart will be refreshing and much needed.
