Walls so High...Opportunities will Pass you by

We all bear sorrow, we all harbor heartaches, we all carry hand baskets of hurt. But, grief often glimmers strong testimonies. Drop the hand basket of bitterness from trials. Don’t build up brick walls so high...that opportunities pass you by. Keep your heart open with God’s joy. Don’t hang a “close sign” on your soul.

I’ve never really shared my testimony. So, I lay open my heart with the past. The most rugged terrain I have traveled, “the loss of a parent”. The paths that led up to that moment were lined with thorny trial bushes. They scratched and scraped at my heart, leaving wounds and deep scars. My dad had 1/3 of his lung removed in 2003. The devious cancer decided to return in 2005. My dad passed away in 2008. The year of 2003 was filled with shock and unbelief. 2005 was filled with prayerful battles. In 2008 a tearful river flowed through the O’Banion family forest. The hand basket that was given to me: chaos, terrible tribulation, grief, depression, and bittersweet sorrow. By losing my dad, I could of hung a neon close sign on my heart. I wanted to keep my heart open, especially for God to enter. I wanted Him to have access to fix and mend my broken heart. I wanted to keep hard-hearted walls crumbling.

Walls? Don’t build sterile brick walls because of your past. Give God room to break those walls and grow light-hearted Lilacs. Grow lavender of love, so opportunities can pass easily.

If I would of staked a “no trespassing” sign on my heart, I would of never fell in love with my husband. I knew my dad would of wanted me to move forward and build a life for myself. He wouldn’t of wanted me to build a “loss wall” to prevent love from getting in. No, I wasn’t scared to wear my heart on my sleeve. I knew God would protect my heart with light lavender and cushioned lilacs.

Some of us are beaten with calloused pasts. But, don’t lay and beat bricks into a wall of solitary confinement. My dad had a horrific childhood. Trauma and hurt overlaid his mind. He overcame the wall building by letting God’s grace grow gentle gardens. Harsh walls were weakened by God’s strength within my dad.

Don’t let the opportunities for happiness, love, peace, and joy be barricaded by trials. Open your heart like a 24 hour cafe. Sip coffee with a light heart. Stay out of the stark dark of wall building.

Let God plant within you gardens of mellow marigolds and move merrily forward.

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