Growing up, I cried a lot. Dealing with the stress of living in a divided home, divorced parents at each other’s throats, and dealing with childhood molestation created a non-stop river from my eyes. Crying felt like the only way I could release the hurt I had inside of me. I didn’t have the courage to speak about how I felt. It felt like the world was on my shoulders and there was no relief in sight. I cried for many years until I discovered that writing was a secret weapon to express my deepest thoughts.
The paper wouldn’t get mad at me. It wouldn’t betray my trust like people, it wouldn’t think any less of me, it would listen to what I had to say. The ink understood my cries and translated every tear I shed to the paper. They worked together to help me release the hurricane of emotions that were raging on the inside. The paper and ink were my best friends. They were always readily available to hear what I had to say, giving me their undivided attention. I understand now that blessing me with the gift of writing was God’s way of ministering to my heart. He allowed me to express my hurt in a way that wasn’t self-destructive, and it allowed me to find my voice.
I kept my inner most thoughts to myself until last year when God gave me the vision to write from my soul to reach souls. I admit at first I had no idea what I was going to write about; then I realized I had been writing my book for years but just didn’t know it. Every poem in my book was inspired by my years of writing about my personal experiences. I gained the courage to open up my soul to others, and with the help of God and so many others, the masterpiece that you now know as Pillars of Hope was created. My book is proof that beautiful things can come out of a place of hurt.
You may have been crying because of things you are going through, or have gone through, but know those tears can be transformed into a beautiful masterpiece. Your masterpiece may be a book, play, business, song, painting, conference, poems, etc. Know that your tears are not in vain and that God does see them and He hears you! You are not forgotten!
With love,
Sequoia Gillyard, The Word Worshiper
