Out of Darkness

“I don’t know how you could write that. It must have caused you tremendous pain.” These words have been repeated to me time and again by people who have read Tears to Joy. My response? “Writing forced me to go to the dark places I didn’t want to go to and in the process I found healing.”

One thing I’ve learned in the past few years is that true healing comes when we bring our pain into the light. This is why the verse “By his light I walked through darkness,” (Job 29:3) is on my homepage. In order to heal, we must be willing to speak the unspeakable. We have to be willing to quit burying and trying to forget the people or circumstances that caused our pain. Healing comes through remembering.

The people of Rwanda know this well. Each year they take time to remember the horrific genocide that left millions dead. They don’t do this because they relish the pain; they do this because it brings healing.

If you have pain festering within you, threatening to erupt, share with someone you trust. You may need a counselor to help you walk through the pain; remember, facing the pain brings healing. Ignoring your pain only leads to denial that can hurt your current relationships and can rob you of the joy God wants to give you.

This Christmas, give yourself a gift. Take the next step toward healing.