This post was inspired by one of my dearest friends and one of the most amazing beings I’ve ever known. This is intended to help those who are suffering, in any way, to bring you faith when yours may be lacking.
I cannot imagine your pain.
I have not lived within your body, nor have I felt the unique sensations you experience when you feel the cells of your body are betraying you.
I cannot say for certain what will happen in your immediate future, aside from the pain, loss, defamation, and cruelty you have grown accustomed to.
What I can do is share my story and extend a hand of hope.
I know what it is like to be chastised for being different, for having an outlook on the world that defies convention, for looking a certain way, for having a certain personality, or for holding beliefs that challenge the programmed paradigms of the many.
They say words can’t hurt us, but we all know that’s a lie we tell ourselves to move forward. A fake layer of protection that lies upon our wounds like salt.
I have been called names that still bring tears to my eyes because they were used to separate me from love and acceptance. Yet I stood in silence, refusing to exchange or return hateful remarks.
I have been beaten to the point where I could barely see. Yet after every strike, every attempt to keep me down, I rose to my feet and refused to give in.
I have been assaulted and despoiled numerous times. Yet I clung to my dignity and learned to see my value. It took a while, but I stand here today no one’s victim and free of the bitterness I could have chosen to let in.
I have been held captive with no escape. Yet my spirit, courage, and faith could not be caged, and I was freed.
I have lived in poverty where a shower a week was a blessing, and food was sometimes nonexistent for over a week at a time.
I know what it is to starve; yet I gave my one meal after days of nothing to the homeless man on the corner because he did not have a roof to retreat under. It was clear; I was the lucky one.
I have felt betrayed and disgusted by my body; yet I learned to love my vessel and view it as a temple.
I have felt so lost, alone, and helpless, that I wasn’t sure why I was alive. Yet I survived and became more than I ever thought I could be.
I have suffered night terrors I never thought would end; yet I have found peace in the night, freeing myself of the consternation that froze me in time.
I have also seen unimaginable beauty that moved my soul to tears.
I have experienced kindnesses that reminded me of why I fell in love with the human race to begin with.
I have experienced healing I was told was impossible for someone of my experiences.
When I allowed myself to face my demons and truly work through all of the hurts I thought were scars, I found myself anew.
I confess not to know your pain, but rather to know your ability to triumph over it. There is nothing in this world stronger and more resilient than the human spirit.
You are irreplaceable in this world, and you are here for a reason. In a multiverse that bleeds so perfectly together, down to the atoms needed to create your magnificence, there are no mistakes.
There is more than hope at the end of the tunnel. There is a beautiful, new beginning awaiting you. All you need to do is believe it could be there. You don’t have to know how to get there.
Trust that there will be happiness, peace, and sovereignty.
I promise you, if you choose the path of hope, healing, and inspired action, that all encompassing love will find you and fill your life with a joy that you may not even be able to fathom in this moment.
We are not simply survivors. We are transcenders.
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