Several years ago I was struggling with a difficult issue. I kept praying and asking God to change the situation we were in. I was so worn down from all the worry and fear and disappointment.
I was tired of praying when nothing seemed to change. The burden was just too heavy.
I had not shared much of our struggles with my friends; I am not sure why. They knew we were struggling to handle our child with Reactive Attachment Disorder, but I had not told them the entire story.
I assumed they would not understand.
I was afraid they would judge me.
As a special needs mom I have been on the receiving end of judgment because someone did not know our full story.
I went to dinner with two dear friends and over the appetizer I spilled out all that was weighing me down. I admitted my grief, pain, sheer exhaustion, and my inability to pray.
They said, “It's okay; you do not have to pray. We will pray for you." In that moment I felt a burden lifted.
These dear friends gave me a gift of relief from that burden.
Did they solve my problems? No. Was I still going to have to deal with the issues at hand? Yes. But by showing up and opening my heart to my friends, my burden seemed lighter.
It is crazy that we would rather struggle under the burdens of our lives than be honest about what is so hard.
Two people are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
Two people are better than one,
because they get more done by working together.
If one falls down,
the other can help him up.
But it is bad for the person who is alone and falls,
because no one is there to help.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
We need to have someone who can help us up when we fall. We need to be able to tell our story.
Brene Brown says, "Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance."
We need to show up and commit to being ourselves.
We need to be honest about what we are struggling with.
What about you? Maybe you need someone to hear your story so they can understand.
I hope this encourages you to reach out and be honest with what you are struggling with.
I would love to hear your story. Reach out to me any time.