Authors Note: I am participating in the Open Letter Challenge writing contest organized by Josh Irby. The following letter is my response to An Open Letter to You from the Rest of the World.

Dear Rest of the World (ROTW),

Your recent letter was such an encouragement to me.  I pray these simple, but heartfelt words somehow convey how it moved me.  Your willingness to express your heart in needing me to share my story stunned me at first.  However, I can now see the point.

I read the letter several times.  The thoughts and emotions it evoked took me on a journey to some deep places that have not been frequented for a while.

In my mind’s eye, I found myself peering at the image opposite me in the mirror.  Rather than the usual passing glance, I decided to pause for a moment and looked intently into my eyes.  What I saw were windows that now let light inside.

For a long time the drapes were shut and little, if any, light was allowed to enter the room.

It was a dark place – a place of unspoken, stuffed emotions that formed an internal prison.  It was hard to escape the walls.

I was reminded of my journey on a recent walk with my wife.  I have gone by the particular spot dozens of times in my mind, recalling the serious and sad look on my face.

Quite truthfully, the recollection of my countenance was once hard to acknowledge. It is no longer!

Do you agree with me the drapes appear to be closed as you look at my face? 

On the day we walked by the spot in which the picture was taken many years ago, I gave thanks that my journey is no longer stuck “freeze frame” in time.  The road has not been an easy one.  However, it is one of overwhelming victory!

It caused me to ponder the call to action that your letter suggests of me.  The questions posed follow:

• What if others ignored a similar call to action?
• What if I did not have the opportunity to be the beneficiary of their respective journey’s because they did not share them?
• Would I have learned that I could overcome and reach a better place along the road?

All of the questions boiled down to this galvanizing truth – there is hope, there is help, there is healing.

One can only partake of the above truth by having it offered to them.  Most of the time we call on God and that is the best place to direct the needs of one’s heart.

However, it has been my experience that God has massive partnerships in place.  His help comes in the form of another person offering a smile, a kind word, a thoughtful gesture, or being goofy – you get the picture!

It comes when one extends themselves to another in need.

One never knows when a simple action can help another over life’s hard spots.

I view your letter as an invitation to an event or a party. I humbly accept the invite to share my story – the story of the ups, downs, and in-betweens so that perhaps you too can benefit.  I have come to the realization that it would be selfish of me to withhold that which can be of benefit to you.

The best way for me to share my story is through writing and allowing, you, the reader to join the conversation.

Graphic Credit Brittany Cross / Words from Wild at Heart, John Eldredge