Good Monday morning, my friends! How’s everyone doing? Hopefully you are refreshed from your weekend and ready to get this new week started. I know I am. After attending the RISE conference with my oldest daughter last Thursday- Saturday, I am ready to take on the world. Well, maybe not the world, but I think you know where I am going with that. So, let’s get started!
Have you ever experienced something in your life and felt all alone in the process of it? You know like no one else has experienced that “thing” or felt like you did in that moment. I certainly have. The good news YOU ARE NOT ALONE…NONE OF US ARE. I am certain of this , because I witnessed it first hand at the conference during an exercise that we were asked to participate in.
During this particular exercise we were given a sheet of paper that had a list of 20+ I HAVE’s . Let me explain. They were things like… I have lost a partner, I have been physically abused, I have abused alcohol or drugs to cope. Our assignment was to check off all of the things that applied to us without identifying ourselves on the paper. Once completed we folded them up, placed them in boxes, volunteers picked them up and redistributed them around the room. Afterwards, our host asked that we stand if the ” I have” was checked on our neighbors form as she read them each out loud.
Tears filled the room as women all across the arena stood up for each other as each “I have” was read. The realization of how much pain and suffering we have all experienced was honestly overwhelming. Although I have come to understand that everyone has gone through something in their life, seeing it unfold amongst 7,500 women made it so real for me.
Perhaps you’ve never attended a large conference, can you think of a time when you have been surrounded by thousands of people. Maybe it was a major league baseball game, NFL football game, concert, etc. Can you imagine more than half of the attendees standing for an “I have” like I have considered taking my life? The truth is at least half of us at the conference stood up for a woman whose reality was such.
My point? WE ARE NOT ALONE. Although the enemy tries to convince us otherwise by making us feel isolated in our circumstances, there are many who have or who are experiencing the same things that we have. There is no shame &/or guilt to be had in this, my friends. Instead, we should find strength in it, which is exactly my goal for each of us this week. As we dive deeper into this topic and unpack truth, I pray that you will begin to understand that you are surrounded by others who have walked down similar paths as yourself and that you will find strength in this. Will you join me? I sure hope so!
I’ll see you guys here tomorrow and on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/thefaithfilledtraveler/ until then! Have a great Monday morning! Take care!!!
Warmest regards,
Salina Watson
The Faith Filled Traveler 