Fight to the Finish

Anyone who's been through anything hard knows it always takes longer than we think to get through it and on to the other side. Especially when we've been broken physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. Sometimes the wait is excruciating, and sometimes it seems as though things will never get better. However, once we get past it we soon realize that we may have lost some things, but what we've gained in return is strength, courage, confidence, and wisdom, in a word.... resilience.

Martha Beck talks about the song Come Healing by Leonard Cohen and describes it as this, "He's writing through a transformation of consciousness from anguish and sorrow to a redemptive wholeness where we heal strongest at the broken places. Nature wants us to heal... the healing is coming and you don't have to do anything about it. When you heal from something that bad, you heal into something that good."

I have found this to be true and this is among one of life's greatest surprises. Each time I've made it through something that difficult, I've found that I'm more confident, resilient, and better able to face the next hard thing that comes along knowing that if I've done it before, I can do it again, and the pain won't last forever. I'm also more empathetic and understanding of those who are going through something of their own, which is a reminder that pain and suffering are universal and connects us as human beings.

When I had breast cancer years ago it felt like life would never get back to normal. I had a year of chemo and radiation, another year of needing to recover physically, at least a year after that to recover mentally, and it took even longer for my hair to grow back. So a good 3 years, plus, later I finally felt like myself again, but at the time it felt like it was never going to end. I learned a lot from that experience... what having faith really means, which people I can count on, I learned it's okay and important to ask for help when you need it, that I'm stronger than I think, and to appreciate having hair and good health. However, the MOST important thing I learned is that hard times will pass, and life will get better... eventually.

So whatever it is you are going through, whatever the reason you're going through it, know that you can find purpose and meaning as you keep moving forward. It may feel as though the universe hates you, but don't give up hope, you're being transformed into something better. Martha also talks about how she compares these times to a Samurai Sword and how it gets flattened and pounded thousands of times before it comes out like the finest piece of machinery. She goes on to say, "So if God wants to create a Samurai Sword, He takes the best materials on earth and beats the crap out of them for years and years."

Think of yourself as a Samurai Sword... being refined... and getting prepared to fight the next battle with honor and courage. At the deepest level... it's a warrior in the making...

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