The Wayward Path

    As with so many other survivors, I have often wondered why I am here. When the world tries to convince you that you are powerless, it leads us to believe our lives are purposeless. We cannot conceive of our purpose when we view ourselves as powerless victims. But our traumas should not be given the power to contain us, should not be given the power to diminish us. We are here for a reason and that reason doesn't disappear after trauma, it just feels that way. Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, talks about the importance of finding a purpose for our lives. I will never claim that everything happens for a reason, but I will say that no matter what you've suffered, make sure it didn't happen for no reason. Rise above and show the world how to be better. When you bear witness to the darkness and the nightmares that come with life, acknowledge it and say "I see darkness here and it is in need of light. I choose to be that light."

We are here to share God's peace.
We are here to share God's love.
We are here to share God's grace.

I have wandered the wayward path for so long,
I lost sight of myself and believed myself
to be unworthy of God's grace.
There seemed to be no way out,
so I began to give in to my doubts.

I have wandered the wayward path for so long,
I lost sight of my faith and thought
I would never find my way home.
There seemed to be no end in sight,
and I began to succumb to my plight.

I have wandered the wayward path for so long,
I almost lost heart. I almost lost hope.
I have wandered the wayward path for so long...
but I am beginning to see the light,
I am beginning to see myself as light.

I have wandered the wayward path for so long,
and discovered that I still carry within me
all that God is.

We have wandered the wayward path for so long,
but we are remembering our purpose.
We are remembering
that we are here to share God's peace,
we are here to share God's love,
we are here to share God's grace.

We shall look into the darkness unafraid
and say to it,
"I see that you are in need of light and I shall be that light."
We shall look into the hate-filled eyes of our enemies
and say to them,
"I see that you are in need of love and I shall be that love."
We shall look upon the nightmares of the world,
and offer them the dreams of heaven on Earth.

No matter what I see in the world, I will say,
"I shine a light upon the darkness
that others shall finally see the way home."