comfort in the midst of pain

Whenever you face strong moments of grief and pain, you have to find ways to get through it.  I share some of mine from the last few weeks.


lyrics from Hold On by Toby Mac:
Let a brand new day wash over you, wanna see you smiling girl...So baby hold on, just another day or two...To the One's that holding you!


text from a girlfriend:
You are awesome!!! And I love you and I just wanted you to know that I'm thinking about you!!!  [yes, this produced tears...I have a really hard time being told I am awesome, I feel anything but]


words from my business attorney on a post on my FB Page:
Misty is such a seeker of the word and she shares her struggles and thoughts with her friends to help us with our own faith. She is a great friend and encourager. 



lyrics from One Desire by Kari Jobe:
in your presence Lord, I will find my strength, you're the breath in me, you're my everything, with my heart bowed low and my hands held high...you're my one desire!
[this song speaks my heart so well right now because GOD is my ONE DESIRE...]


an FB message from a friend who nominated me for an award and she wanted me to know what she said [it is supposed to be a surprise if I win - so I promised I would be]:

I really could have nominated Misty for all three categories. She's just that good!

On a professional level, she is hardworking, professional, and takes extreme pride in making sure that her work is done accurately and to the satisfaction of her clients.

Misty has been a personal inspiration to me both as a friend and as a business owner. We've have spent many hours together discussing business, and she has taught me a lot about what it takes to be a successful business owner. And, as busy as she is running her business, she always takes time out to help her friends and to network to help other people's businesses thrive. Her spirit of generosity and giving is contagious!

But I mainly nominated Misty for her spiritual influence. I knew when I met Misty that we were both Christ-followers, and I liked that about her. This year, Misty has been going through a personal journey that has led her to place her trust solely in God, and to understand that no matter what the circumstances, He is using her to be a light to other people and an inspiration. And she is an inspiration to all who have the pleasure of calling her a friend!

quote from Donald Miller:
I've rarely experienced a set back that didn't prove to be a pruning bearing more fruit in the end. It almost always works that way.

a post requesting for prayer and the number of comments made and prayer petitions by my prayer warriors...

an email from my counselor:  
I just wanted to drop you a line and let you know that I have been thinking about you throughout the week and when your name comes across my thoughts, I just begin praying for you.  I know how hard this part is and I just pray that God opens the door for healing in a way that you have not felt or known before.  You are amazingly strong.  You are working through something that many many women would not dare to out of fear. You have stared fear in the face and have not backed down.  Amazing! Hang in there and know that I'm here and will continue to pray for you!
Blessings

reflections on the song The Hurt & The Healer and graphics the way it was done at the  Women of Faith conference by Mercy Me...

my unfailing love for you will not be shaken - Isaiah 54:10

...and more, these are just a few of the ways God has used people in my life to encourage, support and help me during difficult days.

Counseling Session #12

We finished the most horrific part of My Story.  The story of when I was 17 is over!!!  

Through telling My Story, I am learning that what I experienced has truly shaped me, my personality, my expectations, my fears, my hopes, my outlook on life - God - people - business, my friendships and relationship, has created my determination, has affected me dramatically in who I am today, why I think the way I do, why I react the way I do, why I am who I am...why I have trust issues.

Through it, I am learning that the more I accept it as My Story, not allowing myself to shove it away by trying to make it a separate person from me, not avoiding the pain that is in My Story, I am enabled to live more completely.  

I never would have dreamed I wasn't accepting of My Story, but through this process, that's what I have learned.

I am learning by being vulnerable in a way I have never been before, I can face and accept the truth of my life, not the lies.  I can be bold and call it what it was, because God does.  It was abuse.  Full fledge horrific ugly abuse.  It was rape.

The source of all pain is the avoidance of legitimate pain. - Layne

Quotes