Living my Wounds Through

How much I need to hear and remind myself over again when I feel hurt, pain & grief stricken.
Henri Nouwen shares this truth (below) which brings much comfort and draws me back to the path of Truth.

Acknowledging, accepting & embracing what I am going through is difficult, hard & such a struggle.

Yet, when I come before Him in my nothingness, stripped down to bareness
just as I am,
all that I am
after all's been said & done.
What's left?!
What's left?!
And in SILENCE
I yet again find Peace in my utmost being

"You have been wounded in many ways. The more you open yourself to being healed, the more you will discover how deep your wounds are. You will be tempted to become discouraged, because under every wound you uncover you will find others. Your search for true healing will be a suffering search. Many tears still need to shed.

But do not be afraid. The simple fact that you are more aware of your wounds shows that you have sufficient strength to face them.

The great challenge is living your wounds through instead of thinking them through. It is better to cry
than to worry, better to feel your wounds deeply than to understand them, better to let them enter into your silence thanto talk about them. The choice you face constantly is whether you are taking your hurts to your head or to your heart. In yourhead you can analyse them, find their causes and consequences, and coin words to speak and write about them. But no final healing is likely to come from that source. You need to let your wounds go down into your heart. Then you can live them through and discover that they will not destroy you. Your heart is greater than your wounds.

Understanding your wounds can only be healing when that understanding is put at the service of your heart. Going into your heart with your wounds is not easy; it demands letting go of many questions. You want to know "Why was I wounded" When" How" By whom?" You believe that th answers to these questions will bring relief. But at best they only offer you a little distance from your pain. You have to let go of the need to stay in control of your pain and trust in th healing power of your heart. There your hurts can find a safe place to be received, and once they have been received, they lose their power to inflict damage and become fruitful soil for new life.

Think of each wound as you would of a child who has been hurt by a friend. As long as that child is ranting and raving, trying to gt back at that friend, one wound leads to another. But when the child can experience the consoling embrace of a parent, she or he can live through the pain, return to the friend, forgive, and build up a new relationship. Be gentle with yourself, and let your heart be your loving parent as you live your wounds through.

Source: Henri J. M. Nouwen 'he Inner Voice of Love - A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom'"