Buried deep within me are the wounds few people know,
wounds that have been cried into permanent etchings from my tears,
wounds that are so much a part of who I am that it's unlikely I would recognize myself without them.
Yet it's these very same wounds that formed me,
that grew me,
that taught me how to glue myself back together, bit by bit,
that made me more resilient,
more empathetic,
more genuine,
more uniquely flawed,
and more of who God created me to be.
I no longer wish the causes of those wounds hadn't happened,
I no longer harbor resentment towards my offenders,
for I now understand those wounds unlocked the gates to a gift -
to the compelling story of the shining spirit that now walks in the light of grace,
and the beautiful heart that now freely roams in the evergreen pastures of forgiveness,
and the wiser, older woman that now strives to help others unlock their own gates to freedom.
My journey has brought me here,
to this place of Light and Gratitude,
a place where in my search for answers, and for forgiveness for myself and my own shortcomings, I came to understand that I must also choose forgiveness for the flaws and shortcomings of those who hurt me, and relinquishment for the circumstances I wanted desperately to control but could not.
This is the path to peace.
Twisting and winding though the path be, it is ultimately a choice,
a choice to let go of the baggage that holds us hostage in victim-hood,
a choice to let go of regret, shame, guilt, and anger,
a choice to recognize that we own responsiblity for how we interpret everything that happens to us,
and a choice to see the learning and the blessing that is always there.
Peace is a choice,
and love is the only way there.
© Christine Colyer - Writer
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