(The real flex is believing in your story)
Dear Friend,
A few months ago, a TikToker named Ressa Tessa took the world by storm with her 50-part series, "Who TF Did I Marry?" In the vein of transparency, I did not watch the series because I didn't want to sit through a trauma dump. Trauma dumping has become a new trend on social media, and since I've been actively guarding my heart so as not to inflict specific hurts on myself, I decided to pass on the narrative.
However, the point of this post is to point you to the power of your story. From what I gathered, Ressa Tessa exposed some pretty embarrassing parts of her life and her interactions with her ex-husband. I believe she admitted to not waiting on God, being so desperate that she made a decision to ensure that she would finally "have her turn," and everything else that goes along with brokenness. Now, I'm not shading her in any way because I've done some desperate things in my life, too.
I've stayed when I should've left, begged when I should have maintained my dignity, and lowered myself to be accepted, and all of those experiences make me the woman writing this post today.
Like so many others, I used to be ashamed of my past. I used to be ashamed that I settled for certain things and betrayed myself over and over again. I used to want others to see only the good in me and never look past the smile I fictitiously painted on. I was succeeding at that, too—until I wasn't.
If you've been around for a while, you've heard many of my stories. You've heard how I managed to climb out of consumer debt, how I got cheated on and realized that I was in danger, and how I am managing to do all that I'm doing. I'm telling you this because you've heard my story.
While there has been more good than bad in my life, the bad has still been bad. The only difference between me and so many others is that I choose to embrace my shenanigans and present them as lessons for you. While you can learn a lot from my success, you'll be able to appreciate me more when I share how low I was.
Drake once said, "Started from the bottom, now I'm here!" Indeed, the gutter is where I got my start, but things have started looking up for me because I decided to use my story for good.
Do you know why we admire the greats in history? Because we know their stories. We know where they've come from. We know what they've endured. We know how they left their mark in the world.
Are you hiding your story, or is it hiding you? Do the memories of the past still bind you? When will you free yourself? When will you allow your story to pay you?
Remember, if you've overcome adversity, it's now a testimony. The Bible tells us that we overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony (Rev 12:11), which means the two must work in harmony to yield favorable results.
You're not the mistakes you made. You've done so much with your life.
Now, it's time to share that with the rest of the world. Let your story help someone else, and let your story pay you.
After all, it is yours. Isn't it?
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