“The way we measure our joy, is through intentional embrace of our pain.”
We have all been wronged and done wrong. We have all fallen short of the character we had hoped to see in ourselves. This disappointment accumulates and creates the lens in which we filter our worlds -
The way we enter relationships.
The way we begin anew.
The way we embrace change.
The way we care for those we love.
The way we call out to, or reject, God.
How deeply we trust in life to carry us.
Our battle scars and the things we endured as children stick like residue in our bodies, and unless we work to rinse ourselves clean, it has the potential to stick forever.
We all know those old people who tell the same stories a million times. Whether it be a warning of heartbreak, or a tale of fearful discovery, still wide-eyed and emotion-filled about the contents of their lives 50 years ago. This is the residue that was never washed clean.
The meaning that was never salvaged.
The wisdom that was never integrated.
This residue causes us to enter each new life experience carrying the pain of the past. It does not allow us to claim victory, nor does it allow us to believe in ourselves with the vigor of a child. We disdain humility and secretly wish for defeat. Subconscious self-sabotage.
Many times in my life, I have been filled with rage, bitterness, and deep resentments. And these emotions have caused me to enter relationships, conversations, situations with a distorted perception - with anger and harbored hurt that simply wished to be acknowledged. The violence in my body created external chaos.
These emotions tend to make the heart heavy. They can produce an aura of pride, of envy, of arrogance, of deceit, of impurity.
They bring you down from being weightless and childlike to being scorned and hardened.
Just like in the story of Ma’at, her scales and the feather, our mission in life is to make our hearts light.
We yearn to enter every new life experience with our hearts open and clean - magnets for joy and hope and love. We have the power to ASPIRE. Even faced with tremendous loss, we are in control of how we choose to move through life, and it is only our responsibility where we end up.
“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.“
Entering anew, with our hearts lighter than a feather, gives us true presence. It removes us from the heaviness of the past and the anxiety of the future. We are here. Empty vessels. Trusting. Open. Patient. Kind.
Keeping our heart posture towards God keeps us clean. It prevents distrust or pain from skewing our perception of others, making decisions for us, being reactive, or replaying those same experiences in ways that ultimately cause us to betray or abandon ourselves.
If we wish to look at ourselves and the world with the innocence of a child and the discernment of a loving father, we have to be responsible for the weight we are choosing to carry.
So, may I ask, what is the posture of your heart?
Here are some questions to help you reflect:
What offenses am I holding onto? What am I struggling to let go of?
What is my self-talk like? What are some things I say to myself on a daily basis?
Do I have an unforgiving spirit? Why am I unwilling to let go of my bitterness?
Have I taken in more of the world and less of God?
If you’d like to share your wisdom, hit the button below!
Ohh there is just so much my heart wants to say to this. "What is the posture of your heart?" I love this. This is the journey right here, the hero's journey. The only one I'm here for. Thank you for this, and welcome!
Welcome to Substack. As a Christian, these questions should be reflected on at least weekly.