We Are Understood
- JoAnna Brannan
- Aug 27, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 22, 2024
Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested. Hebrews 2:18 (NLT)
Much of my life experience has left me feeling alone, unwanted, and misunderstood. How could anyone understand? After all, my experiences are mine alone. My peers haven’t experienced the things I’ve been through. They haven’t seen, heard, or felt the way I do. They don’t see me or relate.
I spent years listening to these thoughts, lamenting my fate. It was me against the world and the world winning.
The snarky side of my nature rolls her eyes. “Quick, bring me a tissue!”
The empathetic side, the one I’ve been cultivating lately, can understand the gloom and doom point of view.
I worked with what I knew, the level of my experience. Today I know better and try (sorry Yoda) to do better.
Gratitude helps. It is one of many anchors I use to help stabilize myself when old habits try to creep back in. When I entered the rooms of recovery, I heard the description ‘terminal uniqueness’ used frequently. As a person who likes words, this description gave me something to chew on. Could feeling unique, set apart, solitary, or different create a situation so debilitating that it could be called ‘terminal’?
My brain and heart jumped in unison with a resounding, “Yes!”
In that moment of acceptance, the door to freedom was unlocked. When I opened myself to reality,
— my sour-grapes attitude was really hurting me —
the chains of despair and isolation fell to the floor. Liberation had come.
Am I cured of negativity as an initial instinct?
Nope.
Do I have to stay conscious of choosing the positive, aware that the Eeyore-brain is ready to see dark clouds all around?
Yup.
The thing is, I didn’t do any of this alone. The old me had to be torn down. I had to confess my inability to recover alone. This work required a master carpenter, one who could see my soul and coax me out of hiding through patience, understanding, and love.
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:38 (KJV)
There was no doubt about it, I had labored alone and found myself heavy ladened. When I approached the cross and laid my burdens at the feet of the Master, He indeed gave me rest. He restored my identity as a daughter of God. He took the obsession of addiction from me. He continues to show up whenever I try to slip backward. Through the miraculous mercy and grace through the ransom of Jesus Christ, I have experienced a restoration to sanity and will continue to do so as long as I keep my efforts centered on a relationship with Him.
It's beautiful, isn't it?
We are understood perfectly.
A way has been prepared.
Never again do we need to sit in utter despair or destroy our lives because we cannot cope with our feelings and experiences. Let us look to the glory of Gethsemane and the sacrifice given at the cross so that we might be well. It is there that we can lay our burdens at the feet of the One who overcame it all and know peace.
As I continue, one day at a time, I feel fortunate that I am part of a lovely circle of friends who value and appreciate the talents and gifts I bring with me. These people are patient with my shortcomings and have loved me until I could love myself. They teach me how to put my beliefs and recovery into action. I am no longer isolated, feral, or alone.
We are meant to lift each other throughout this magnanimous adventure called life. If you need to be lifted, I am praying for you to be met where you are, and for rest to come. If you’re in a place of blessing and hope, I encourage you to reach out and lift a hand that hangs down, cradle a heart that is hurting, or provide support for the weary. Together, we can make our world a better place.
May you walk in the sunlight today & always.
—jo
Affirmation: Today I will meditate on the restoration of sanity provided by a power greater than myself and choose gratitude in the undertaking of this rich life in recovery.
—From the Fire Ring, Vol. 3, No. 2.
*A special note to those who suffer from a life that feels beyond control — I understand your struggle. You are not alone. There are resources available to you. I urge you to reach out and take advantage of what is available. You do not have to walk alone.
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