I've been wearing a coat of shame for years now, and I'm tired of it.
It's partly because of how I view myself. I'm the girl who made mistakes. The one who made wrong choices. The one whose dreams got put on hold and is struggling to get them back.
It's partly because of how you view me. The comments you say that remind me of my mistakes. The advice you give that's wrapped up in the poor choices I've made in the past.
I'm stuck with an identity I can't escape, surrounding me like an ugly coat and zapping my confidence.
But I'm not that girl any more.
I've spent so much time looking at my past and worrying what people think of it, I haven't noticed that I'm different now. I've changed. I've learned things that only people who've endured something can learn.
And it's time to wear a new coat.
A confident and courageous one.
One that shows the world that I'm an overcomer.
Your coat of shame may look differently than mine, but the same thing that offers me hope, offers YOU hope. You have learned things through your struggles. You've been made stronger each time you've endured. You've gained a message you can share with others.
Maybe it's time for you to put on a coat of confidence, also, and wrap yourself in the hope of who you are becoming.