This Too Shall Pass (like a kidney stone)

When the pains of life come our way, we have a choice. We can choose to be the victim or the victor.

The past month for me has been an extremely pain-filled time. I, along with several members of my family have been dealing with a traumatic event. We are all experiencing the pain from different perspectives. Yet we each feel it deeply. And while I cannot share the details, I will say that it is one of the most difficult personal challenges I have faced in twenty years.  The event itself I liken to the ripping off of a band-aid, immediate and shocking. All at once, the wound is exposed, open and festering. With every day that passes, the healing progresses. Yet sometimes you rub up against or bump the wound, and the pain comes right back to the surface.

I saw this sign on Facebook this week and in spite of everything, it made me chuckle. 

This Too Shall Pass (like a kidney stone).

Pain comes and pain goes, and life moves on. The question we need to ask ourselves is, have we moved on? There is life beyond the pain. Are we living it?

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my not-so-swell childhood, it’s that only two forces have control of my life, God and me. And let's face it, my life goes much smoother if I give control to God that which I cannot manage on my own.

The type of life event I am talking about, it’s a make or breaker, for myself and several members of my family. It’s the kind of event where someday we will look back and realize that this event was a defining moment in our lives. It could make us stronger, bring us closer and build our resilience. Or it could tear us apart at the seams, leaving behind anger, broken hearts and defeated spirits.

Experience is a tough teacher, because she gives the test first, the lesson after.

There have been many days recently, when my heart is so heavy, and my eyes can’t seem to stop leaking. In those moments, I question the injustice of it all, for every single person who has been touched by this event. Why? So many people hurt.

Every day, I am faced with a choice. What should I be today, victim or victor? Every day, I have the chance to re-write my story.

Someone once said to me, we are the story we tell ourselves.

If I choose to be the victim, I lose.  I blame. I get angry. I feel sorry for myself. I judge. I isolate.

If I choose to be the victor, I win. I release. I forgive. I embrace. I love. I live. I hope.

Once this wound has healed up, however long it takes, I want to be able to run my finger over the scars of my heart and know that all is well in my soul. That I have chosen to be victorious. That I have chosen to live my best life. Not in spite of it all, but because of it all.

Remember, this too shall pass (like a kidney stone).

Pain is temporary.

Hope is everlasting.

Make the choice. Commit to the choice. Ask for help. Continue with courage.

Hugs and friendship,

Tara