Shining a Light on Wounds, Healing, and Intention

I recently read a quote that said, “The wound is where the light comes in.” I like the ring of this quote, but it’s my experience that the light rebounds off the wounded area, at least for a time, because it hurts too much to be filled with light. We all have wounds from the present and our past. We move through the world with these wounds that shape our responses and actions. Being conscious of when we are living and acting from these wounded places makes it possible to bring a lightness into a situation. We become aware of why the heck we said that weird thing to that person, when our initial reaction didn’t make sense at the time. But if we understand the true nature of what our wound is trying to protect — our vulnerable, soft, tender heart — then we can just maybe have the opportunity, in that tiny moment between thought and reaction, to make a wise choice. We can intentionally make a “light-hearted” response that is more than a knee-jerk reaction to protect, one that is filled with awareness and kindness to self and other. This is where I see the light coming through our wounding to shape our behaviors and hopefully influence those around us.