I spent much of my life running from the past that quietly haunted me only to find it followed me. Funny how that works, isn’t it? When tired of running I tried to change my attitude toward my past, but that only worked until life got tough I would then slip back into my old thinking patterns and coping skills.
Healing for me has been much like peeling an onion. The outer layers were withered, flaky, and as far as the eye could see dead. The next layers were sometimes sweet and burst with flavor, while others were pungent, bitter, and made me cry.
As I peeled back each layer I was faced with a decision. Did I want to stay withered, flaky, and dead choosing to fall victim to my self-sabotaging behaviors? Did I want to hold on to my painful past as a badge of honor allowing it steal my joy? Did I want to remain mad at the world because life is unfair? Was I going let my past define me and my future? Or… Was I going to define myself and my legacy?
These were hard yet real questions that I faced. So, a conscious decision was made and for those of you still wondering I choose the later. I choose to take charge of my feelings and claim the restoration and healing that God had in store for me.
It has been a true journey and for me, restoration and healing have come in many forms. Check out how Celebrate Recovery, Essential Oils, and Serving Others have played valuable roles in helping me overcome some of my biggest struggles.