There is in each of us the potential to be the heroine, not just a victim, in our journey. You become a heroine by refusing to beat up on yourself for mistakes you made in the past and by refusing to see choices as an ambush and opportunity for failure. Life will have its share of failures and of unchosen circumstances; but it is not what happens to us that shapes us, as I’ve written before, but what happens inside us that makes all the difference. We can and do survive humiliation, loss, a broken heart, assault, illness and having to start over because we learn how to step back from the pain of what’s happening to us and see the hint of a new life opening to us.

God offers each of us choices, decisions, the opportunity to learn and grow from our experiences and the invitation to work with God in shaping who we will become. Messing up is the risk you take for stepping out. But it’s also the feedback we need for how to take our pain and use it for growth.

You have a decision to make. You’re paralyzed by your choices. You’re afraid to make the wrong decision.

What’s the worst thing that could happen if you do?

–Renita Weems