For many, the start of a new month brings with it the hope for new beginnings. I’ve noticed that it seems to be the time of year for the winds of change to blow. With that, I’m reminded that sometimes we need our worlds to be rocked. We need to be rattled, torn down and we all need to reach bottoms that shake us to our core. The trials of life and heartaches of any kind are a calling for transformation. It’s an opportunity to create a new beginning.

The despair, sadness and discomfort that accompany an upset are what urge us to change because we make a decision in those moments that we no longer want to feel “this” way, ever again. Heartbreaks, losses, failures, being taken advantage of, bad health reports, addictions, bad habits – what ever it is that is breaking us or has broken us, let us be reminded today that they are truly just a catalyst of transformation. IF we let them be. And we do this by taking action.

We often get stuck in the brokenness sometimes and we busy our minds with the reasons why things are the way they are. We get so wrapped up in the story or emotion that we forget to pick up the pieces. We forget that we have an opportunity to rebuild, learn from past mistakes, and to make our lives beautiful again.

We may not always be in control of the situation, but we are in control of how we let it make us feel.

We are in control of how we respond.

We are in control of the actions we take.

When we switch the story from that of being a victim of unfairness and we change it to that of being a champion of our lives – the shift begins to happen. Miracles start to work in our lives because we have decided not to allow our circumstances dictate our future.

Let’s not forget that it’s good to allow ourselves to feel the emotions of heartache. By giving ourselves time to feel, we are giving that emotion a proper acknowledgement, which then allows us to move forward. Instead of running from pain or bottling it up and shoving it down, feel it. It’s there for a reason. Appreciate the beauty of negative emotion and be compassionate to the heart for bringing it to awareness so that transformation can begin to occur.

When I’m feeling down I give myself two days to feel that way and that is my cut off. After that, I move forward knowing that I gave myself ample time to pray, navigate, heal and allow the sadness or anger to be transformed into something that will be useful to me instead.

We all face things in life that break our hearts. Life changes everyday. We were put on this earth to build our lives and sometimes that means we need to rebuild.

We put up walls and others come along to tear them down.

We create defenses to block us from hurt.

We hide behind masks to keep our shame covered up or to cover up our imperfections.

We stay in situations for longer than we should because sometimes it’s easier to be comfortable than to face the change.

But what if those breaks in our hearts were designed to be cracks of light, that we could fill back up with happiness?

What if the walls people tear down, weren’t meant to be there in the first place?

What if those defense mechanisms we create also block us from experiences that we may find joy, peace and delight from?

And what if we were reminded that no one is perfect. What makes us who we are and unites us all together is that we each have unique imperfections that were put there to bind us.

Maybe those situations we are comfortable in but aren’t right for us were put there to challenge us to, stretch us and to make us reach for more.

You just never know. The next person you meet could change your life. The next trial you are faced with could be exactly what you need to change your course. The next time you face heartache, remember to smile through the tears because you’re embarking on a new beginning. Transformation is a series of new beginnings. We just have to be open to seeing the things that break us as a calling for greatness instead of allowing them to keep us down.

Embrace trials and heartaches with the mindset that you are right where you need to be. The bible says that God is always working things out for our greater good. Remember that promise and ask to have eyes to see the greater good in all situations. When we are faced with something that bottoms us, let us remember transformation starts with a new beginning.

“Be thankful for every heartbreak, for they were planned. They come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then leave. Their purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, make you so desperate and out of control that you have to transform your life. And you do.” – Unknown

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