One of the most difficult and insightful questions we can ask ourselves in the midst of our suffering is, “what have I learned from my pain?”  Or to put it another way, “what exactly am I getting out of all of this?”

Approached with deep and unwavering sincerity, questions such as these can serve as a beam of light, cutting through the darkness of our afflictions, and piercing the shadows surrounding the things we’ve long kept locked away; those very things which rise up unseen out of the self-imposed blackness of our shame, guilt, fear, and unworthiness, and grasp the levers of our lives; forcing us to take the actions they deem necessary to ensure they remain obscured and in control.

Questions such as these are dangerous, because the answers they provide can topple the very pillars of our existence.  It takes great courage to ask them, and courage equally as great to accept whatever truths they might reveal…