Choosing Joy on the Other Side of the Waves of Hurt

I’ve been to the ocean on a bright and sunny day and watched as the waves lazily hit the sand. Then, out of no where, far out on the horizon these dark, angry clouds form out above the ocean and instantly everything changes. The waves rise up in defense and the rain joins the chaos. Most people run for cover but often I have stayed. The storm is memorizing, the waves are great turbulent creatures.

And it makes me think about the waves of hurt. It’s simple, being human sometimes hurts. I have found often myself on the outside looking in someone’s else’s world as they experience pain caused by another. It’s not me going thru it but it’s still painful.

But just like the storms of the ocean, hurt is inevitable. But the question is raised, can I still chose joy? Hurt is like this great storm brewing. I know first hand because, oh my goodness how this has been part of my life for the last 3 years. Hurt starts out small, a couple waves that shake us a little, but still barely visible in the corner of our heart. It could be an unkind word from someone, or people excluding you, things we as humans don’t give a thought to. But then hurt, it grows into this terrible , raging storm. The fierce waves of resentment and anger combine with the storms of hurt to create an unstoppable force.

The huge waves squelch our joy and no one can get close to us because of this storm..it destroys people close to us. It separates and divides, seeking it’s goal to create a path of destruction. The initial wave of hurt is totally unrecognizable at this point. The storm is confused about its path but is fed with the desire to rectify the hurt.

Oh, how I regret the times in my life when I got to this point. I wish so many times when my hurt was just this small wave , I would have dealt with it and then chose joy. I would have acknowledged the waves but not given them power. After all, sometimes what starts the waves, is sadness, other’s insecurities, or even jealousy.

It’s taken so long for me to realize this truth. We can’t control the start of the waves, the hurt that people inflict upon us, the storm way out on the horizon. But we can control the hurt from turning into a raging storm. We can have Joy on the other side of the storms of pain. The ocean is beautiful, there are storms, but they don’t last forever. And I have found the ocean even more beautiful once the storm dies down. The waves once again return to gently, lovely creatures creating the extraordinary ocean sound that soothes my soul. We can chose not to let the fierceness of the waves of pain to destroy our relationships, our lives, our Joy. There is still beauty standing along side the ocean after a storm, and there is still joy after the misunderstandings and hurts. Our relationships can be stronger after these heart hurts, it’s all in choosing the joy.