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If we have learned just one thing recently, it’s that we need to be gentle with ourselves and others. We’re all in this crazy world together, and we all get weary at times. Be recklessly gracious!
The wisest, most loving, and well-rounded people you have ever met are likely those who have been shattered in some way. Yes, life often creates the greatest humans by breaking them first. It’s the painstaking journey of falling apart and coming back together that fills their hearts and minds with a level of compassion, understanding, and deep-loving wisdom that can’t possibly be acquired any other way.
Angel and I have worked with these incredible people In many cases they came to us feeling stuck and lost, unaware of their own brilliance, blind to the fact that their struggles have strengthened them and given them a resilient upper hand in this crazy world. Honestly, many of these people are now our biggest heroes. Over the years they have given us as much, if not more, than we have given them. And they continue to be some of our greatest sources of inspiration.
So today, to honor these unlikely heroes of ours, we want to share 2 of their stories with you (with full permission, of course). Below you will find tiny excerpts from emails we’ve received over the years — they are super short but incredibly powerful accounts of real life, real struggle, and the human resilience required to take the next step. There’s definitely something here for all of us to think about and reflect on:
True Blessing
“Last night there was a family of six staying at the hotel where I work. They were hanging out in the lobby sharing stories, laughing, and taking turns reading excerpts from a joke book. I asked them where they were from. ‘Oh, we’re from here,’ the father said. ‘Our house literally burned down yesterday, but miraculously all of us got out safely. And that makes today a true blessing!’”
The Sunrise
“I realized that although it was the darkest period of my life, if I had not worked through and overcome depression, I would not be here now smiling so appreciatively at the sunrise through my living room window.”
The Truth
"I told everyone the truth about who I really am and what I have decided to do with my life. I have chosen to love and honor myself, every day.”
Finding Growth Through Life’s Ups & Downs
The stories above hold many lessons, but as mentioned earlier, one lesson I think they collectively share is that life’s challenges don’t just break a person, they can also shape a person, gradually…
Challenging times are like strong storms that blow against your soul. And it’s not just that these storms hold you back from places you might otherwise go, they also tear away from you all but the essential parts of you that cannot be torn, so that afterward you see yourself and your priorities as they really are in the present, without all the distractions you’ve been clinging to. In a very real sense, you are here to endure these storms, to risk your heart — to be bruised by life at times. And when it happens that you are hurt, or rejected, or knocked off course, let yourself remember that life’s challenges are necessary.
In all seasons of life, your goal shouldn’t be to seek a perfect and pain-free existence, but to live an imperfect and sometimes challenging one in radical amazement. To get up every morning and take a good look around in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is extraordinary in its own right. Every day is a gift. To be spiritual in any way is to be amazed in every way.
