People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within. ~ Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
As I sit with this quotation, I am reminded of the years I spent “perfecting my outside” so that I would “sparkle and shine” in the world. I cared about what I should wear or what others would think while ignoring my inside world. I didn’t make time for introspection and discerning my truth, the beauty that only my unique perspective could reveal. As Elisabeth implied, when outer darkness struck during times of inner darkness, I was crushed and all beauty was lost.
Yet, so many folks who have traveled “the darkest of roads” are able to let their inner beauty shine brightly. Jana Stanfield speaks to this inner beauty and the courage to discover it:
Each of us, whether or not Life has thrown us major external challenges, has the opportunity and responsibility to discover and reveal our inner beauty, to brighten the world with the light from within. It takes courage! Sometimes our light doesn’t align with the people around us. Sometimes we feel extremely vulnerable at the thought of sharing our inner truth. Yet:
What if you don’t?
What will you miss out on by hiding your truth?
What will be missing in our world?
What impact will your inner light, shared, have?