“What is denied cannot be healed, but God will give us the grace to face what we have chosen to deny if we ask Him.”
Grief is a necessary emotion, and it can eventually bring us peace if we don’t get stuck in it. Losing a child leaves a big hole in our souls. I found peace at the end of my journey and I also found something I did not expect—joy.
When I admitted what I had done when I chose to abort my baby, I could then move on to helping others navigate through the grief. I know what it is like not to take a deep breath for thirty years. Taking that breath was one of many breakthroughs that came. The founding of Rachel’s Cry Ministries was another.
Giving women and men a chance to come and share their experiences in a judgement-free atmosphere was joy. Being free to share my story with others was joy. Being free to help others break free from the “secret” was joy.
Somebody needs the part of the story that you are ashamed of.
Being brave enough to face the toxic emotions of shame, guilt, and anger is joy. Some of it will be hard—and some of it will take a bit longer than we think it should—but the joy that comes afterward is well worth the struggle.
JOY. Beauty from ashes….
— Lynne Mattioli
