There is not one person who will avoid some sort of struggle or hardship in life. In fact, there are things that happen in life that often shake us to our very core.

The essential nature of being alive and being human is to experience life in its purest form — the wins and losses, celebrations and challenges, and the good with the bad.

Some of these experiences are not favorable. We might be in pain, physically or emotionally — we hurt. Often we feel betrayed by life itself, we feel it is unfair and question why we have to go through these struggles.

What we don’t realize is that these struggles are a gift from life itself. When we come face to face with a struggle, a low point in life, be it an illness, a relationship breakdown or financial ruin, at the time we are lost in darkness
I have come to believe that embracing my light does not mean ignoring my dark.

Have you ever been moved to tears by a complete stranger, by a movie or a blog post or an individual with such a story or such a message that tears have formed in your eyes and empathy has begun to spill over in your heart?

As of late, I have been reading and re-reading and finding solace in individuals; people who have found their way out of the darkness, who have learned to navigate the darkness alone, who have begun their journey’s of hope and healing.

In truth, I think there are a lot of people in this world that could benefit in some way from hearing or seeing or understanding my dark, relating to their dark, and the bigger notion that no matter where they are, they are not, and never will be alone.
I say this full well knowing that it’s terrifying to admit, to share, to bring other people into your darkness; but I honestly believe that without them, we may get stuck for far too long, missing the chance to honor our light, missing the chance to live our lives out loud.

Have you gotten honest with your feelings? Have you sat down to honor your darkness, to realize the amazing strength you must have to still be standing despite the things you’ve faced? Have you shared these pieces of your life with the ones who love you?

I am sure you have heard many stories of people saying that they feel blessed to have gone through their hardship as this defines who they are today. This is not something that people just say, this is something they know.

Through darkness comes light, through fear comes love and through pain comes triumph.

This is the triumph of the human spirit; it is not in a select few, it is in every one of us.

I urge you today to do so. Your strength has been created by your weaknesses, your darkness has begun to create pockets of light. Be proud of your light. But honor your darkness too. It’s part of what made you who you are, and from where I stand, who you are is pretty incredible.