Pain is gawky and ungainly and never ties up neatly. It hangs on like an old infirm dog that needs to be put down. For all these reasons, I hate the way hurting makes me feel out of control and weak.
I want to be the kind of person who is unaffected by the things that reduce most people. I've always carried the misguided thought that the strong people are those who experience something really difficult and come out unfazed. These are the people who teach the world how to cope.
Letting go of this notion, stepping into the invitation to acknowledge and grieve the pain in my life, has opened me up to an entirely different way of seeing suffering.
Pain, like no other place perhaps, is where our art is born, where our stories are written, our canvases brushed, our scores composed. Though we so often want to deny the discomfort, suffering is one of the few things that can lead us to the place where we find the God we so desperately long for.
Yes, even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, he is with us. In our greatest need, he sees us.
-Leeana Tankersley, Found Art
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