Do you remember this song?
It used to be my favorite. As songs go, it’s beautifully written and delivered. Its message is poignant. I hadn’t heard it in years, but when I came across the video, I remembered.
I remembered how I used to sing the words to this song. It reflected my views of how hard the world was, what a betrayal life was and how I intended to protect myself. Of course, I knew it reflected the depth of being wounded, but becoming hardened like a rock and isolated like an island seemed an appropriate response to it.
Now I hear the song and I hear a cry for deliverance. More, I see hope for that deliverance. The harder the shell, the greater the determination to break through. The higher the fortress, the bigger the spread of your wings.
Because in the depth of your pain is the passion to overcome, and in every ash of bitterness lies the phoenix waiting to arise.