Invite someone into your pain (day 64)

“BE BRAVE: Friend, tell someone you trust what pain you are experiencing. Don’t keep secrets anymore.”

— 100 Days to Brave: Devotions for Unlocking Your Most Courageous Self by Annie F. Downs

https://a.co/dJBU3tF

I am a bit of a word vomitter. Someone asks me how I am doing and I kind of just... spill. Sometimes it’s pretty and sometimes it’s not.

I have not always been like this. When I lived in Washington, I kept pretty much everything inside. There was no one who knew exactly what was going on in my head except me and the good Lord. And that caused problems.

I thought I could just push down the pain of feeling alone in a new state down so far and focus on what my job was.

Yeah that was fine until it wasn’t. One particular week, it was so bad. My eyes were so bloodshot from crying, there wasn’t much concealer could do anymore.

But the sad part wasn’t the fact that I was sad. It was sad because I was doing it alone. All I had to do was tell someone and I would soon get better.

So I did. I word-vomited on a lovely girl on prayer team that Sunday at church. I told her everything. EVERYTHING.

And guess what?! She prayed with me and then became my friend. And then she found me other friends that were able to walk alongside me in this weird, sad, loneliness.

So please let me save you some time, friend. You got pain?! Tell someone if you haven’t already. And keep telling people.