Pain: Is it weakness leaving the body?

“There is a voice inside of you that whispers all day long, 'I feel that this is right for me, I know that this is wrong. ' No teacher, preacher, parent, friend or wise man can decide what's right for you - just listen to the voice that speaks inside.” - Shel Silvertein.

My mother so often told me to pay close attention to that little voice we all have inside. She said it would never steer me wrong. Admittedly, the only times in my life I’ve encountered hardships, save for the wildcards life throws at us on it’s own, were times when I held my tongue when that little voice told me to speak up; when I continued to act even though that voice told me to pause; when I spoke even though that voice told me to listen. When I recall times like this, I’d forsaken that little voice to pacify.

That little voice always tugs at the strings that connect our gut to our heart. We can all recall a time when we felt something intangible just below our heart, which spoke some innate quiet language to us. This whispering language can almost always be hushed away with logic. When there is “no evidence” to support what that voice is telling us, we dismiss it. We dismiss it until life shows us through experience how right it was. If we listen and pay close attention, life will also conversely show us when we thought it was that little voice guiding us, when in fact, it was fear or unhealed parts of us.

Let's pay closer attention to that voice...

When has it spoken so loud that even your guides and ancestors sang with it, giving you wings of strength?

When did you abandon what was familiar to step into discomfort and break into a more expansive version of yourself?

In Mark Nepo’s “Book of Awakening” he says, “The glassblower knows: while in the heat of beginning, any shape is possible. Once hardened, the only way to change is to break.”

When can you recall a time when you thought it misled you, only to find out you had shadow work to do?

Did you do your shadow work and sit with that voice to get to know the darker parts of yourself to see if you’re operating out of fear?

Amy Lee once said, “Don’t be afraid of the shadows, it only means there’s a light nearby.”

Can you call to mind a time when these lessons helped you get out of ego and understand the broken heart of another?

There are always going to be times we cannot do anything but take a leap of faith. But, if we can get out of our own way, get out of ego and out of avoidance of discomfort, we can understand that, so often, pain is just weakness leaving the body.

The mother giving birth knows that the pain she's experiencing is only taking her closer to meeting her child. Each painful wave carries with it divine information, allowing her to know what is going on with her changing body and her baby.

When we hit the gym and give our all, only to feel very sore, our muscles had to tear to outgrow their previous form and become more than they once were. Similarly, how we respond to the pains of life can either bring us strength or leave us bedridden.

This is not to say that staying in painful situations where your peace, wellbeing and spirit are compromised is tolerable. It is always important to ask ourselves, “Is this serving the life I want to create for myself?”. If the answer is no, leave. If the answer is yes, don’t be afraid to take a leap of faith. You may get a few scrapes and bruises on the way down, but the strength you will gather will heal them.

Today, I invite you to find strength in that little voice. Develop it. Sit and have a drink with it. Do what makes it sing. Go where you feel it open to the world, unapologetically.

HAVE NO FEAR.

Blessed be.

#HaveNoFear #NoPainNoGain #DoYourWork #CenterYourSpirit #TrustYourself

(Copyright Laura Wadek/ Centered Spirit Birth Services)