“Do not deprive yourself of the nutritional benefits of pain. You yourself – that which you call yourself – were forged in the fire of pain, upon the hard anvil of life. So if you care – and dare – to know the elemental makeup of yourself, the building blocks of you, what is there hidden within, but disguised as your persona, you’re going to have to submit to that very same fire once again. In that heat, form softens, melts, becomes liquified, and there you are: not the you in the mirror, not the you in your stories, but the you in your heart.” ~ Paul Goldring Kaufman
What happens if we stop resisting our pain? Paul hints at the answer and we become born again.
The fires in my life are leading me to my awakening as a child of God. There is no place to go but within.
The “you in your heart,” as Paul calls it, has been there all along.
This is the alchemy of awareness, the pain leading you through test after test after test.
After the test, comes a rest and then it starts all over again.
Welcoming ourselves home does not require a mirror, thank God.
The “you in your heart” knows the necessity of pain.
Vicki Woodyard
That was beautiful Vicki. It seems like “the you in your heart” also knows the pain of necessity. In the end we have to return to the fire….it’s the only way and the pain must experienced. But the nature of pain is painful.
Namaste dear Vicki,
Tami
I thought Paul’s paragraph was “nutritious.”
Beautiful Vicki. Inspiring and gives strength. In light of the tendency of the individual to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Thank you. Bill
Thank you