“Every single person has at least one secret that would break your heart.”-Frank Warren

I sat across from someone recently and she told me something about herself that I didn’t know. And as she did, everything about her suddenly made sense, her approach to the world, the way she carries herself, the things that matter to her. That one truth made everything about her fall into place like tumblers in a lock. Click, click, click, click. A door swung open into her life and I could see her then. All forward motion, trudging through life holding the edges of her wound together and dabbing quickly at the few drops of blood that came through. Always on her feet, enduring. A brave little girl, strong and fierce.

She walked out of the room, and you could see that she was lighter. She left it in my lap when she did and I wouldn’t have it any other way. But I felt pinned to my chair by the weight of it, unable to move until I cried the tears she never got to, and acknowledged the sorrow that wasn’t allowed expression. Secrets are heavy. You’d think between being a nurse and being in recovery for this long that I could no longer be surprised by what people go through, by what we do to each other. Maybe not surprised, but I’m always still sad. But wounds can be healed, and heavy things can be set down. There is nothing better than being a part of that process. The only thing better than having the miracle happen for you, is to watch it happen for someone else. It’s sweet and it tastes just like redemption.

As I walked away, I thought of all the people I see every day, with one thing I could know that would help me understand them. And I don’t always get to know what their one thing is. In fact, I won’t get to know it for most people, but it’s there. So many, bravely walking through the world holding themselves together, and doing the best they can. Each, a precious child of God, to be loved as much as possible, or at the very least treated with gentleness and respect. Because God loves them, and so must I. Because even when I don’t, He always knows the one thing you could know.

“I can see Your heart eight billion different ways. Every precious one a soul you died to save. If You gave Your life to love them so will I.”-Hillsong