Pass it along
I pressed in, I pressed on. Now what? Most of us in this “category” think you cannot and should not talk about it. My therapist told me, “Mark, I want you to tell your wife about this experience.” I said “No.” I told her anyway. It was very hard to even utter the words, but I pressed on and told her. My therapist was happy about that. Then she said, “I want you to tell your kids.” I said, “No.” I told them anyway. Really hard! But they were so comforting and reassuring. There! I did what she asked me to do. Surely that would be all.
Then she told me, “Mark, I want you to tell your pastor.” I said “No.” I told him anyway. He was amazing. He cried with me. He walked with me through so much! My therapist was happy. Then she said, “I want you to give your testimony at Celebrate Recovery." I promptly said, “No!" I told them anyway as part of my testimony. It was so healing and so freeing. People lined up afterwards and said, “That happened to me also. I didn’t know you could talk about it.” My therapist was very happy about that.
Then she had the gall, the audacity to tell me, “Mark, I want you to give your testimony in church.” In CHURCH? In front of all those people? People that know me? I said to her, “Are you crazy?!” (I really did.) She chuckled and reassured me that this was part of the process. I told her “this process sucks.” I was firm in my NO. I gave my testimony anyway. I stammered through. I cried on stage. People cried in the congregation. I gave glory to God for walking with me through this. And they clapped. They stood up and clapped! Not for me, but for what God did for me. And guess what happened after? Yup, people lined up and said, “I didn’t know you could talk about that. That happened to me also.” I was able to meet with so many people, to give encouragement and direct them to help and hope.
We live in a fallen world full of corruption, deceit, immorality, selfishness and more. The test of this life is real. God has called me out of the darkest place I can imagine and called me into light. He has called me to help others, to Pass it Along.
You are not alone. As you move through your trials, through life, as you press in to Him, He will help you through it, help you press on. And then He will help you Pass It Along to others! He will. Just ask me!
(This is #3 of 3 posts. The other posts are "Press in" and "Pass on")