The Pain That Grew Me

Hurt As a Character Builder

It’s not a fact we like to face or talk about often, but the hurt and hardships in our lives are the driving force behind the molding of our human character and the strength of our human hearts.

You might say that brokenness births greatness at times, or at the very least, it gives way to resilience and creativity, in quantities you would have never known had you never shed so many tears.

I’ve said so many times, “I’m not strong,” when someone tries to compliment me by telling me how strong they believe I am.

But the truth is, I AM strong.

I’m as strong as God has allowed me to become through the tragedies He has allowed me to go through. And I have bitterly resented my strength and the method used to build that muscle for years.

But I’m seeing things through more mature eyes now. Oh, I’m still mad and resentful sometimes. Who wouldn’t be?

I’ve had more than my share of trauma and tragedy. More than anyone should have to face in a lifetime and yet, here we are, facing the aftermath of it every single day and staring down the emptiness and the memories left behind.

I lost my 16-year-old son. Found him dead actually. And that was by far the worst day of my life, but…