The Wounded Woman

I have been working through this book for a while now, using different books and videos, etc, to turn to whatever i'm needing to gain for my spiritual and emotional health.
Oh my gosh.. I'm so glad I bought this book (on Amazon) .
I have marked in it like crazy, I have gained so much sympathy and insight and strength and hope and relief.. i'm sure there's more, but I'm unable to put it in words right now. I will read this over and over. I also encourage you to get it for yourself. We ALL have so many things we've dealt with and have gone through, and we need healing.

The Wounded Woman: Hope and Healing for Those Who Hurt
by Dr Steve Stephens and Pam Vredevelt

(the bold parts are my extra thoughts, the rest are little excerpts from the last section I just read that spoke to me and I felt I needed to share.)
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What if pain is a teacher and difficulties are opportunities?
What if a life without struggle is a wasted life?

"In the designs of Providence there are no mere coincidences"- Pop John Paul II

A wound may be a blessed event, if only we embrace the blessing and don't get stuck in the agony and distress of it. We are not minimizing the suffering; we're only saying that it may have a meaning that shines through the darkness. Difficult as it may be right now for you to affirm this, the pain may be worth it.
Troubles happen, but life moves on. We either move forward with it or we relive it, focusing over and over again on our difficulty. We all must ask ourselves: Are we living life in our rearview mirror or with our eyes intently focused on the road ahead?

We all need to push forward, for that is where life is. We must start by stepping out.

What is my dream?
What is holding me back from stepping out?

Christ gives us strength and comfort and hope. Regardless of the past, He will be with us as we move forward.
Jesus understands pain. He suffered we could be healed and forgiven.
God has great dreams for us; all we need to do is step out and grasp them.

"Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you" Galatians 5:1 (The Message)

Somebody once said: "The shadow will always by behind you if you walk toward the light." Walking toward the light means stepping out and not letting anything stop us.

Our future will not be perfect. There will be new challenges, new difficulties, and new wounds. But we will be stronger for what we have gone through. Louisa May Alcott wrote: "I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship."
It's interesting that she didn't say that he had learned to sail, but that she was learning. We are all in process - none of us has arrived. Yet on this journey, with God's help and our determination, we move  forward and discover victory.

Gratitude is faith in action. Every moment of every day is full of things for which to be thankful. Gratitude makes us more alive, more enthusiastic, more optimistic.

Our wounds are gifts, while at the same time being tests. 

Helen Keller: "I thank God for my handicaps for, through them, I have found myself, my work, and my God."

Our wounds make us more willing to let go of what we have here.

Frances DeSales wrote: "We will soon be in eternity, and then we will see how all the affairs of the world are such little things."

Living in the light of eternity causes us to reprioritize what matters most.

Life is full of challenges!

On the battlegrounds of life, our faith has the potential to grow stronger and deeper.

Our wounds.. are nothing for which to feel ashamed or insecure about. In God's eyes there is nothing wrong with our wounds.

Troubles transform us if we let them. Challenges can be what empower us and take us to the next level.
He is willing to use our pain to accomplish great things in us and around us.

He yearns to heal our wounds when the time is right. He is waiting to comfort us as soon as we ask Him. He is eager to strengthen us as we lean more on Him.

For it is through hope that we move forward.