The Other Side

Last night one of my friends invited a group of people over to our pastor's house for a very important "meeting" that she wanted to have.

This friend has been through a lot of hard things in her life. One in particular began happening to her at a very young age and lasted for years. It was something that couldn't be talked about, couldn't be dealt with, and she was left to stuff it inside for years and years. It was the path her life had taken, unchosen and unwanted, with no one to share in the pain.

Self hatred, shame, confusion about love and unrest were just some of the few miseries that plagued my friend until just recently. After a long battle, everything came to the surface and justice was paid. It was no longer a secret and the culprit who caused so much pain for so many years finally received their punishment. 

As we gathered last night in the living room, my friend read to us her story that she had put to paper... the journey through her pain to freedom. The details were at some points hard to hear and there was not a dry eye by the end of it all. But it was something that she needed to do: to share it, remember it, and then leave it behind as she begins this new chapter in life. 

I can't get out of my head the last words she shared with us. After hearing about the years of hardship she endured, her closing sentiments were something like as follows:

"I would not change one thing about what I have been through. You see, I have come to know the love of my Father like I never would have known before. He has taken my tears, wiped them away, and replaced them with a joy unexpressable. I can't quite explain it, but He has healed me and I never would have thought I'd be able to say it . . . but I'm finally on the other side." 

Goodness! Do you know today that there is another side? Have hope today, my friends. It will not be like this forever! You, too, will walk on The Other Side.

Linnae