This is a repost from 2009 while a Therapist at Imagine Hope Counseling Group
“The only way out is through” Joyce Meyer
I love this quote! Do you know why? Because in this day of immediate, and fast, and I don’t want to wait- we are all looking for a way through. A way to the quickest check out line. A way around so we don’t have to wait in traffic. A way out of the challenges the day brings. A way to avoid the struggles in my marriage or with my kids. Very few people want to walk through something to see what the journey is like and what it will be like on the other side.
When we are counseling clients it can be very painful during the process of drudging up the truth of certain experiences or situations. Our clients ask us many times, “How long until this is over? When does the pain end?”. I often respond with a difficult yet honest, “It will end when you walk through it, not around it, and get to the other side.”
Walking through grief and loss, heartache, the pain of the past- all of it is difficult. But if we walk around our issues we only gather up more things to carry with us. So many times we miss the journey of actually walking through- the lessons learned, the experiences, the memories.
A couple of years ago I trained to run the mini marathon (a half marathon). When I was training I couldn’t wait until race day. Mainly because I didn’t want to train anymore. When I look back over that 12 month process (Yes, I wasn’t a runner. It took me 12 months to train!) I am often more fond of the memories of my journey when I was training. I loved being outside for 2 hours, running, praying, listening to music, and just thinking randomly. That was the journey to the race. If I would have just ran on the day of the race I would have missed the journey.
I want to encourage you to walk through your stuff rather than around it. You will come out so much stronger on the other side! Thank you for reading!
Natalie Chandler, MA, LMHC is a therapist at Imagine Hope Counseling Group. Natalie enjoys doing marriage counseling, individual counseling, and couples counseling. We also specialize in family counseling, child, and adolescent counseling. Imagine Hope serves the Indianapolis area including the surrounding areas of Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, Westfield, and Zionsville