Acknowledge and Be

BIBLICAL POINT OF REFERENCE:

"Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted."

~Matthew 5:4

I once received a note from my dad that had an article inside--an article about pain. This article was pretty short, but the two things that stood out to me in it were its message about dealing with pain: the first thing the article suggested was to acknowledge the pain, and the second was to be with the pain. We don't often get told in everyday life that the best way of healing is to actually admit that there is pain. Maybe we don't because we don't want others to think we are weak, or we want to prove to ourselves that we are strong. I think that especially as women, we are more prone to hiding our feelings because we have the stereotype of being emotional 24/7. Whatever the reason, it doesn't change the fact that we need to accept that there is pain before we can truly look past the tragedies in our lives. God even tells us that those who mourn will be comforted. As for being with the pain, sometimes we have to let ourselves be broken so that God can put us back together--and He will put us back together. There's a song I really like called "Dream Out Loud" by an artist named Alana Lee, and my favorite lyrics in that song say, "impossible is not a wall if you have faith". I know that at the time pain sinks in, it seems impossible to recover. But have a little faith and I can guarantee you it's not. I will leave you ladies with one more note: there is nothing wrong with being emotional. Women tend to be more emotional, but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. Don't apologize for feeling hurt or sad or happy over something that God gave you--be thankful. Let your heart be full of love for everyone. Your Laughing Sister, Callahan This article was written in memory of Noreen Henrici, who loved the Irish and inspired me to love myself, no matter what. Check out the WHEN LIFE DRAGS YOU DOWN quotes page for more inspiration!