Awesome God-granted day yesterday.  I shared my story as Inspirational Speaker for about 35 teens from 13-17 yrs. old currently inpatients at Psychiatric Institute.  Speaking for me is a two-way street and I believe I get more out of it than they did.  But I do hope today we were equally blessed.  Their beautiful young faces etched in pain that, in a perfect world, no kid would ever have to bear.  As I began doing my thing, with call and response poem, Tell Me A Story, we connected.  I spoke, did some spoken word, through in a song or two; I watched as glints of hope and possibilities danced amid their smilies and sang in their laughter.  I felt like i was treading on holy ground.

You see, I remember.  Though many ions ago, my inner turmoil began at about 8 when I remember writing on my bedroom wall (in pencil, of course) “Nobody likes me; everybody hates me.”  That was my first secret–how I felt on the inside.  Then raped at 14 with verbal and physical abuse by started at 15. But for the world, I began building a shining star, bright, congenial, and well-adjusted facade that I carried for many years; until my armor corroded from the inside out and burst into addiction along with the painful lifestyle that always accompanies it.

I remember.  If only I had the professional help made available to these teens when I was a teen, what wonderful things might have been.  But still, by God’s grace I made it through and out of the bondage of active addiction.  The baggage of a young lifetime, finally addressed through the help of many people and the festered inner wounds offered to God who healed me from the outside in.

Opportunities like today; to speak words of hope, healing, and encouragement to those precious teens is truly a gift born from my own pain and subsequent FREEDOM.  Hopefully, I pray that these teens, too will rise and be truly FREE!

I went from the teens suite to the 20 adults in detoxification unit.  Again, I shared my story, as if for the first time; allowing God to take me to exactly where He knew they needed to be met–heart-to-heart; spirit-to-spirit–we connected–hope abounded.

Thank you, Lord, I opened my mouth and heart –you filled them both up and multiplied it more times than I will know on this side of Heaven.  Amen.  So it is!

@2011 Stanice Anderson  www.TryWalkingOnWater.com

Tags: addiction, confession, domestic violence, drugs, faith, healing, humor, inspiration, mental health, Psychiatric Institute, self-help, speaker, Stanice Anderson, testimony, WOW Zone

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