My first draft of this post was entitled “Ranting” and was a little angry. My mom says I have a chip on my shoulder. Of course, she’s right. And I’m really trying to work on that—trying to be less critical and divisive and less concerned about everybody else’s issues as I know such qualities are generally unbecoming. To that end, I realized I needed to tone it down a bit, and before I wrote the current draft, I asked God to tell me what it is I really need to say that would actually be helpful instead of completely inflammatory. I’m trying to take responsibility for myself instead of just calling out other people. Baby steps. 🙂

Here’s what I really want to say:

I am so inspired by the people who are doing the very, very difficult work of recovery. Especially those who are openly talking about how that work is going for them.

I feel like many of us are struggling (read: all of us are struggling) . . . more than we care to admit. Many of us need a supportive community, the encouragement to seek help from experts, and an understanding of how our faith actually intersects with our struggle. Many of us don’t have the words to articulate our pain even if we had the courage to do so.

So, we need people who will stand up and show us how to do all this, how to take growth steps and come out on the other side. We need people who will talk about and write about and share about the real and raw moments of life and how a regular person (like you or me) just might be able to have hope and healing in the midst of the chaos. We need to see people who are telling the truth, people who are paying attention, people who can handle the gray areas, people who aren’t sure, people who are checked in to life, people who are changing, people who are creating, people who are healing, people who are living, people are finding joy and beauty even in spite of the painful jags.

I get bogged down so easily, and I’m so incredibly quick to forget how to stay alive and to keep breathing. I need people who will remind me . . . not only through their knowledge, but also through their experience. I need people who will provide encouragement, an example, inspiration.

I not only need that from others, but I desire to become that kind of person as well.

When I go speak places, I cannot tell you the number of people who share with me about the tragic things in their lives. I am realizing that people need to know they’re not alone. None of us has it figured out. We’re all feeling broken. I’m realizing I need to talk about my own brokenness and my own healing with unmitigated honesty, resisting the temptation to try to look like I have things together in areas that I actually don’t. And it is tempting. It’s always tempting to try to look good. Giving in to that temptation is so incredibly dangerous, though, and I’m seeing that more and more.

Perhaps instead of wasting energy on how I wish everyone else would be better at being emotionally authentic (and conveniently leave it at that), I could use that energy to look at myself and see how I might be more brave.

I want this blog to be a forum where we can all discuss our various questions, struggles, triumphs, perspectives, frustrations . . . and the unlikely beauty we can see laced through it all.

So, when you have a sec, share something that has been helpful for you lately . . . something that is helping you pay attention or keep breathing or pursue wholeness.