I wish you could have seen...
05/20/2020 ..
I wish you could have seen what I saw last night. I sat among a group of women that I had been in close communication with for the past six months. When we first met, there were many tears, even deep sobs. Their tears were angry, grief laden, heavy with shame, guilt and loss. Through dark stories with deeply buried secrets, the group expressed gut wrenching pain. There had been thousands upon thousands of wishes, even futile attempts to make it stop, but it didn’t.
Many of these precious women have carried this burden for a lifetime, their bodies baring the physical effects of stresses they never asked for. They had been victims. It was so unfair. And so, they cried if they were still able. There were a few who no longer shed tears, their hearts hardened, numb, dead to what’s been held for so long. They all had carried this hideous monster of burden in the dark recesses of their soul.
Last night the scene was much the same as it had been in the beginning, yet the story was different. There were still tears, but now they were sweet, filled with almost overwhelming joy. They were no longer ugly tears. They were beautiful. So beautiful... I wish you could have been there.
I wish you could have heard what I heard last night. They’d shared horrendous stories over the past six months. Those captive secrets were no longer buried in the heap of dust and ash of broken lives. From those who once expressed hopelessness, hope rang loud and clear. From those that had come to us in depressed despair, we now heard laughter. Lots of laughter! From those who once approached our group in anxiousness and fear, words of strength and courage flowed freely. From lips previously sealed in silence, we now heard a voice; a fiery voice!
We’d all become closely bonded in our pain, but not in a “misery loves company” sort of way. What once made this group feel isolated and alone, now brought us together as a powerful force. These women took that first courageous step to reach out for help. They showed up, cautiously allowing themselves to become open and vulnerable. By digging deep, they had moved to a place of confidence, self-worth, strength and freedom. They learned in the safety of the group to accept that they were never intended to have to do life alone, that they needed help. I had the privilege to walk beside them on a journey to wholeness. It was a crooked path with many obstacles. Fear was present, but they did it afraid. Oh, how I wish you could have heard their stories, human beings had literally been transformed. I wish you could have been there!
They say every great story needs a hero and a villain. These women’s stories all had villains, for some there were many. Their stories had heroes, as well, but there was one hero common to every one of these stories. That hero is their Creator, the giver of life. They know him so personally as their loving and good Father. The Author of Life had penned a twist in their story line. I wish you could have heard their stories, but that’s for them to tell. In time, they will tell it! I hope you’re there to hear it.