Ten.
The demons that you face want you to be alone.
There are skeletons that look like they’re covered in only your fingerprints,
It seems like no one can find themselves inside the pain you feel.
The demons want you to be alone so they cast shadows
They dim the lights so you can’t know who’s in the same darkness next to you
But you are not alone,
These fights are not new ones
Darkness is clever
but pain is pain
it’s not original
you are not the only one
the boat you feel like you're sinking in
is not a lonely one
and even though your demons want you to be alone
even though you feel like the skeletons in your closet have their hands latched over your mouth
you have to find the gaps to shout through
They're there, I promise you
know that there are others aching to be found
aching to find you
Know that there are demons that will always want you to be alone.
But, know that you don't have to be alone.
Nine.
You are not a tombstone.
You are not a lost cause.
You are no warning sign to others to stay away
You're a desert flower
You're a tiger whose stripes were scarred upon you
You are awesome
You are not a lost cause
So stop treating yourself like one
Stop treating your story like your traumas will win
You are a tiger
You are pottery making its way through fire
You are vibrant
You are brilliant
You are not a tomb stone
You're pretty much the exact opposite
There will be times
When life will feel like
trials and tests you forgot to study for
Waves will crash
And we will have to go back and pick up the pieces on the shore
But remember that things will come
That no one could prepare for
So stop blaming yourself for enjoying the beach
Let yourself live today
You are a human being, not a test subject
You are a human being, not a superhero
You are a human being and brokenness will come
Seven.
Brokenness does not deem you unsalvageable.
Brokenness is not the enemy, no
Brokenness is a new canvas
We make stained glass masterpieces out of the shards of what used to be
And that is not a tragedy
That is creativity
That is artistry
Brokenness does not deem you unsalvageable
But you must at least admit that you're broken
Six.
If your skeletons are of wrongs done to you,
Know that you've been wronged, and start there.
If your skeletons are built up
From your own wrongdoings
That you can't seem to let go of,
Then know that you're a human who makes mistakes
Know that you're worth fighting for
Know that you are not a lost cause
Know that these dry bones do not define you
Know that you're still loved
Five.
Find God in the sunrise.
see His face in the colors that fight back the night
feel His hands in the way the wind kisses your forehead
or the way it plays with your hair
God has beauty to show you yet.
He is a hidden treasure not so hidden,
Our eyes are just not open enough to see him
You are worth fighting for.
You're worth every breath and moment and tear;
You are not by yourself in this.
Let yourself be known by those who God has placed in your path
You are worth being vulnerable
You are worth the fight and worth the struggle
You are worth fighting for.
Three.
It's okay to have a bad day.
Let yourself break.
Let yourself be broken.
Let yourself feel all there is to be felt in this moment
In this space
In this wave that hits you now
Let this pain that demands your attention be felt
You are built to bounce back.
You will stumble and fall,
You will make mistakes
You will be wrecked sometimes,
But they will not overtake you. And
Two.
The skeletons are worth facing.
These bags are not worth dragging.
You are worth healing and hope
And you have bright and beautiful things ahead of you.
One.
You are infinitely more than a coffin of old bones.
Know that there is a world so much bigger than
The walls of your closet
Know that there will be more skeletons that want
To make a home inside of that closet
But know that you don't have to let them stay
So when you consider facing the skeletons inside that dark room
Know that there is a world waiting to welcome you in
Know that there is a God waiting to welcome you in
Know that there is so much more to you
Than shadowy spaces
You're alive.
Don't let these old bones hold you back anymore.