This Is Me After Loss

There are voices inside our heads. Everyone has them. Sometimes they are but a mere whisper, other times they are screaming and we can barely hear anything else. They can be full of guilt, self-doubt, anger and most of all…fear.

You will sit and wonder “Who would take on such a mess as me?”, “Why has so much bad stuff happened to me and not others?” You will convince yourself that you aren’t worthy of love or a beautiful life, you will think that maybe there is something wrong with you…maybe there is a reason you have been through such trials…

And you’re right. There IS a reason you have been through such life altering trials and it’s not because you are not worthy of a wonderful life. Maybe you are here to show people that it can be done…you can (and WILL) survive. And when someone comes into your life and needs encouragement, needs an ear to listen, you will be there for them…you will be what they need because you have gone through similar trials.

The other day I heard a song I had never heard. It’s called This Is Me by Keala Settle. It really spoke to me. If you haven’t heard it, look it up and listen to it. I’m going to share some of the lyrics with you now.

This Is Me-

“I am not a stranger to the dark. Hide away, they say ‘Cause we don’t want your broken parts. I’ve learned to be ashamed of all my scars. Run away, they say, No one’ll love you as you are…

I am brave, I am bruised I am who I’m meant to be, this is me. Look out ’cause here I come And I’m marching on to the beat I drum. I’m not scared to be seen I make no apologies, this is me…

and I know that I deserve your love ‘cause there’s nothing I’m not worthy of”

We ALL have flaws, we ALL have things we need to work on and that aren’t “ideal” but is that what should define us? Should the worst thing we ever did be who we are forever? Should a mental illness be all people see? Should a tragic event/loss be the only thing that defines us? Is the trial we are facing (and may face forever depending on what it is) be the only thing people acknowledge about us? I don’t think so. We are all human. This life isn’t easy. Some circumstances are caused by our poor choices, some are simply because we live in a world where bad things happen and no one is immune…either way we deserve happiness.

At the end of my life I want to know that people felt loved by me no matter their circumstances. I want to know that I looked at the soul of a person and not their “inadequacy’s” or their circumstances , that I loved people unconditionally…that has always been my goal.

We are all family in this crazy life. We all go through trials and hardships and face adversities…sometimes people don’t even know all that we are battling. There is loss/grief, addiction, anxiety, depression, mental illness, self-doubt, infertility…the list goes on and on.

Yes, some people will have many more hardships in this life than others and it may seem unfair, I have wondered about this myself, but we choose how to look at our circumstances. No matter what you are facing in your life, whether it was something you helped cause or something that just happened to you, you are worthy of everything beautiful this life has to offer. You will still experience pain, heartache, let-downs…but you also can experience love, joy, passion, family, excitement and so much more.

Don’t give up. Lean on the Lord. Have faith. And whenever you can, try to be an encouragement to others dealing with their own hardships. We are all in this together!

2 Corinthians 1:4 – “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”