Hey sister,
With such a bold title, I can only imagine what you’re expecting once you’ve read this. It would be remiss of me to encourage and inspire without tapping into some of my personal stories. Since we’re all sisters here, we’re family and I can fully uncover and share my whole truth with you in hopes that it may bless you. Does this count as a disclaimer? Let me know.
As one would imagine, my 20s (early 20s specifically) were a time of rediscovery, uncovering, hurting, peeling back the layers, and falling apart to emerge into the woman I’ve become today. When looking back, I can acknowledge that I’ve experienced breaking in every area and aspect of my life. As a young adult, I was left to try and navigate the remnants of childhood trauma, issues with abandonment, low self-esteem, the damage of a toxic relationship, the breaking of my heart (quite literally, I was born with a heart disease) and uncertainty of where I belong. I used to be so concerned with what others thought of me, that I almost missed the miracle in the destruction. Here's the thing, it may be tea to someone else but it’s a testimony to me. I’m not ashamed of what God has carried me through, and where He has taken me to.
The healing journey began with an unraveling. I had to break so that I could break through. My heart had to be broken in so many ways so that I could really heal. So that I could experience true restoration. My prayer had to say, God allow me to see myself the way you see me. In seeking His face and throwing myself at His feet, I found the peace I was looking for. In committing to doing the soul work and going to therapy, I showed up raw and ready to tackle the tough topics. Ultimately, the unraveling made room for rebirth. In asking God to search my heart, and remove anything that isn’t of him, I slowly but surely began to show up bolder, more confident, more like how He sees me. A creative, multifaceted, strong yet soft, delicate yet fierce woman on a mission. His mission.
What I failed to realize while going through it, was that my pain had oil on it. In the pressing and the crushing, the Creator was making new wine. It wasn’t all vain; it couldn’t be. The pain fuelled me to go back and to get my sisters. To reach back for the generation coming up behind me and cover them and show them that they too are fearfully and wonderfully made. I went through this so that they would never have to. That was a part of my purpose.
So, now that I’ve healed what’s next? Most people view healing as the end of the journey when in actuality, it is just the starting point. Healing isn’t linear and it isn’t a one-stop shop. Just because you’ve healed and have been restored doesn’t mean you won’t get triggered, and it doesn’t mean you won’t get hurt again. But for where you are now, how are you going to use your pain to set the next person free? You must be a conduit of the healing – let it flow through you. Even if it isn’t on a platform, or in an overt way, let everyone connected to you experience this new version of you. Let them encounter the whole you, the restored you, the glow’d up you. In the way, you speak, in the way you love, in the way you respond, in the way you are. Let them wonder what is it on your life that caused this transformation? What it is about you that makes you so free? What is it about you that every time they try to push your buttons you react with kindness? You’ve healed, and you’ve been charged to be connected to the next person’s breakthrough.
Perhaps you’re reading this, and you haven’t yet experienced the other side of the breakthrough. Let me encourage you and remind you that you’re not built to stand the storm alone, you’re not supposed to endure by yourself. I would encourage you to get in community, get under some covering and let another woman whose intentions and heart are pure walk with you on your healing journey.
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