Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Tuesday Tidbit: “To live the pain with hope”


Here’s your 15 seconds of inspiration, 
your Tuesday Tidbit:


“Often we discover the joy in the midst of the sorrow. 
I remember the most painful times of my life 
as times in which I became aware 
of a spiritual reality much larger than myself, 
a reality that allowed me to live the pain with hope. 
I dare even to say: 
‘My grief was the place where I found my joy.’” 
Henri Nouwen

In taking time to reflect on your life, have you, too, discovered joy in the midst of your sorrow?

Did God help you live with pain and hope at the same time?

Perhaps you, like Henri Nouwen, can say, “My grief was the place where I found my joy.”



Make time to think about Henri’s words 
and then write your story. 
Your story matters. 
Your words are important. 
Someone grieving needs to know your story 
and grasp hold of hope. 



2 comments:

  1. You are right. As I write my memoir, God has been showing me where He was in my painful past. Sometimes it was in very surprising places. During the intense sexual abuse my father inflicted on me I would go to an imaginary world with imaginary mother and father. One day I asked God where He was. He said in my spirit, who do you think your imaginary mother and father was? Also, when I got healed enough to accept it (he couldn't tell me before that because it would have driven a wedge between us) God showed me he was in the NOTS. What did not happen. I did not get pregnant by my father. Did not get a sexually transmitted disease from him. Did not get pregnant.

    In the writing of my memoir, he also told me other ways that He was active in my life - equally surprising. For many years I had considered God the great abandoner. How awesome that He wasn't.

    Thank you for your post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Heather, thank you for sharing your story. I'm so very sorry for the abuse you suffered for so many years, and I'm also delighted to read about the ways God is helping you heal! I so appreciate your insights about all the NOTS that God offered you--what did NOT happen. God bless you for working your way through all of this, and I do hope you'll keep writing your memoir. Someone needs to find hope and strength and healing through your story.

    You'll be interested in the July 14 blog post, too: http://spiritualmemoirs101.blogspot.com/2016/07/writing-yourself-to-other-side-of-pain.html

    Keep in touch, Heather.

    ReplyDelete