Healing Starts with Ownership

Hello all! So glad to be with you with week. I apologize for my absence. I may not be bale to post every week like I was doing due to new job responsibilities. However, I will still try to post at least every couple of weeks or so. As always, I encourage you to please comment and reach out. Let me know how you all are doing.

There has been a lot of tragedy in the news. Two back-to-back mass shootings, Saoirse Kennedy Hill’s tragic death are just a few of the headlines gripping the nation. There is tension, hatred, blaming and despair. Sadly, this is what we get on this side of heaven. It is a broken, terribly flawed world filled with broken, terribly flawed human beings. We choose so often to hurt instead of heal, argue instead of listen, avenge instead of forgive and hate instead of love.

Well, what is to blame? The blame ultimately rests on human nature. Are there sensible policy changes that need to be placed? Yes, that’s plausible. Do certain practices in media communication need to change? Yes, they do. Human nature still lies at the root of it all. We have to recognize for what it is— wicked. We can not make human progress if we do not rightly recognize human nature.Our desire to serve and please ourselves leads us to some unspeakable acts. We blame others wrongfully for the pain and disappointments in our lives. We justify hurting others because we ourselves were hurt by others. There is no excuse for it. We have to start the healing process by beginning with ourselves. We must acknowledge where we have failed, where we have caused pain, where we sowed sorrow and where we stirred up strife.

I recently had a pretty bad personal experience with someone I really cared about. This person reacted by lashing out in ways I had never experienced. That’s what people do, though, sadly. I have been doing a lot of soul searching and recognized when I have done the same exact thing. I do not want to ever do it again. If I could send out a letter to people I hurt, it would go something like this:

Dear person I wounded,
I am sorry for the pain I caused. I know sorry does not fix anything. I sincerely hope to express my deepest regrets over my selfish, self-centered actions. I cared more about protecting myself than protecting you. I cared more about defending my image than defending your value. I hope you have found healing and peace.

If all of us sat down to lay aside our hurts and grievances and truly focused on the experiences of someone else, how much would that change things? I think a great deal. I think we could overcome hatred, ignorance, lust and pride if we did. Take ownership of your pain. Take ownership of the pain you caused others. Listen. Gain understanding. Give respect. Watch the transformation in yourself and in the world around you. Stop wishing the world would get better and start bettering yourself. The individual difference makes up the collective difference. Peace, grace and love be with you all.