The two of them sat alone as I walked into the room. Abruptly, he looked up at me, and spoke with what I interpreted as disdain and asked “why are you always smiling?!” I didn’t have an answer. I was caught off guard. Obviously my smile was bothersome. Obviously I shouldn’t be happy without cause. Obviously I should immediately stop smiling because it doesn’t seem welcome here.

It’s hard to believe it’s that simple. It’s hard to believe that a question or tone or thoughtless words can plant a seed that immediately blossoms into insecurity, self-doubt and the desire to change the essence of who you are. But it is. It’s one of the reasons why I take words so seriously.

At the time I didn’t understand that this question was itself a reflection of the inner turmoil of the questioner and had very little to do with me. Oh how I wish I had a powerful come back or had shrugged it off and kept on my way. But, I didn’t. I let those words change me and my behavior. I intentionally stopped sharing the light that was radiating from me because darkness questioned it.

Thankfully I’ve long since reclaimed my smile, my power and my light. And I challenge you to do the same. I believe we all have experienced this in one form or another; a word, a look, an implication, an opposing view. Somewhere along your journey, you too may have encountered someone or something that changed the essence of who you were.

Take a moment to think about that thing that may need to be healed or restored in your life because the world caught you off guard and you surrendered to the opposition.

Take back what you lost. Reclaim who you are. You deserve to live whole and to believe in who you are designed to be.

So let me know in the comments below. Do you have a similar experience? How did you recover? Do you still need time and space to heal? Let’s talk about it.