It's not who you are.

If I told you that words can run in torrents and that they can either cripple or define, would you believe me? If I told you that love is something so precious and beautiful and the ones that have experienced it are the blessed among us all, would you shake your head? If I told you that people can walk out of your life and leave an empty space filled with heartache, would you call it the Grand Canyon? If I told you that you are beautiful, would you silently shake your head in disagreement? Here's the thing, there are about thirty people in one of my classes and if you went with me one day and sat on the chairs around the edge of the gym, you would see the different types of people and you might even give them labels. The perfect one. The cool kid. The insecure girl. The shy boy. The complainer. The happy one. The confident one. The girl who sits alone. You go down the line and maybe each label fits perfectly, but there is something you don't see. The insecure girl is the kindest  of us all and she has a lion heart, someday she will find the courage to use it. The girl who sits alone comes from a broken family and she doesn't want to risk getting hurt again. The cool kid is insecure and the perfect one is hurting; the confident one learned the hard way and the happy one is trying not to pretend. The shy boy has a world of possibility and greatness coming to life in his heart and one day he will rise to be a great leader. The complainer just wants some love and attention. They are just labels, they are just the definition of the facade we put up but they do not define who we are on the inside. And it doesn't matter if we are the labeler or the labeled, because I think each of us have felt the judgement falling from the glances and stares and if we aren't careful it can be easier than you think to start believing the words. Soon the face in the mirror begins to notice the imperfections, soon the talents are not as important anymore, soon insecurity is the only means of protection and one day we will wake up and there will be no love left. It bothers me that our casual turning away includes labeling the people that hide so much in their hearts. There is a world of greatness there if only we could be bothered to sift it out; to look deeper and offer our friendship. People are not as they seem and sometimes a smile can hide a world of pain. Words can kill a spark and once a person thinks they are of no worth and aren't beautiful, it is a long journey back. Our world of pain will be another person's healing, our experiences are vital, important, and could change someone's life. We are all necessary and we can all make a difference. And just so you know, the amount of people who have walked out of your life, the people who have hurt you and decided you weren't worth loving do not define who you are, but they do give you a story worth sharing.

xx. Amy Jane