It never really crossed my mind that pain could be so loud. Heartache shouts in the silence. The only real way to find consolation is to look into the face of Jesus on the cross.  He did that so you could one day be free from every ounce of suffering you are going through. Do not let pain define who you are. It might change you, it might teach you, it might mold you, but it should never define who you are. If you let pain define you, the devil has won.The battle is over. Because when pain is your core, and you allow it to overcome you, your heart is locked in a neat little padlocked case. There is no love to be shared or received, which is the fullness of life. If pain defines you, you are not truly living. You must become vulnerable, as C.S. Lewis says. Your heart might be battered and bruised after a time, but there is a Master healer of hearts. Allow pain to come and go, but recognize what it is. It is a stepping stone to becoming who you are. The only real way to discover this however, is to let love be your core. Let love be your essence.

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” ~ C.S. Lewis

"...He learned obedience through what He suffered." Hebrews 5:8


Blessings,
~Paula