There are Lessons in the Dried Ink

Have some chapters in your life that you wish you could change, those that are now written, seen by many and are unerasable? I have quite a few of those. The ink is dry and there is no magic potion to wipe them out. I can pretend they never happened, but would that really help? That is okay, however. I may not be able to erase or rewrite them and you cannot either, but we can write new and better ones.

Within each of those chapters are valuable lessons. No matter how grueling and painful they have been, they left something beneficial that we can carry for what lies ahead. That ink may now be old and dry, written on what is now dull and crumbling, but what is waiting for us is not!

Many of my torn and tattered pages with dried ink are those of failed relationships, those with whom I was intimate, friends, co-works and otherwise. There was some real ugliness there. However, that was when I did not truly know myself. I was blinded by blame, seeking validation from others, and searching for the kind of love that was already inside of me. I had no idea that the relationship I needed first and foremost was the one with my Maker, my Heavenly Father. Until I found Him I was so lost.

Are you still staring at tattered pages where the ink has dried, crying, begging and still praying for a do-over? If so, quit wasting your time. There are more chapters to be written from the experiences and knowledge that you now have and the ones that are in your future. You do not have time to keep looking back. Take your lessons and dare to move on.

Now the ink that I write with is so vibrant and pretty and I know without certainty that I am a person of value. I feel no need to blame others for the mistakes that I have made or will make. I have a Father who forgives me and gives me second and more chances. He validated me long before I took my first breath and showed me my first loves should be Him and then myself. After that, everything else will fall into place.

There is nothing that says we will not spill more ink. However, now we know that there is something to be learned from that blot. We will accept it and move on, gleaning, teaching and empowering others from it, even after it has long been dried.