“There is no pain or
sorrow which comes to us that has
not first passed through
the heart of God.” -Meister Eckhart
The
river birch with its salmon-colored shaggy bark is very hardy – able to
withstand frost and wind, and to thrive well in damp riverside soil. About the
only thing it cannot tolerate is shade. Shedding its bark is a natural
developmental characteristic – the peeling of paper-thin layers makes room for
new growth to happen. If the peeling is premature, the tree will become
“wounded” and fail to grow.
Sometimes
along our journey of life, we come to an awareness that we need to be healed
from our inner wounding that resides deep in our soul space. This healing is
always a challenge, a process, and a sacred adventure! Much like the river
birch trees, we, too, have layers of old wounds that need to be peeled away,
each in its own time.
To
set out on this inner quest, we (unlike the river birch) learn to befriend the
shade – our shadow self, who truly is our teacher – inviting us to name our
fears, doubts, pains, and illusions. In so doing, we gently peel off layers
placing all into God’s loving embrace.
With
each inner “pilgrimage”, we gather courage and integrity to go ever deeper to
enter our wounding with grace and faith. We then let grief have its way with
us, allowing our tears to bless us as they carry away our hurts.
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