I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. (Lamentations 3: 19-22)

In American culture, stories are meant to entertain us. Stories of lament—that deep, messy outpouring of pain, anger, and grief before God—are not usually bestsellers. But painful stories of abuse, trauma, loss of self, and grief are important: So important, in fact, that the Old Testament has an entire book (Lamentations) dedicated to the Jewish people’s 67-year captivity in Babylon.

Lament doesn’t demand that we have everything figured out. It simply gives us permission to bring our truth into the presence of God. As painful as remembering can be, God promises us we will not be consumed by our stories. When you’re ready, in your own time and your own way, consider sharing small parts of your story. You don’t have to tell everything. But sometimes sharing our hurts can become an act of hope.

The writer of Lamentations 3 says “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope…”. There is something powerful about that “yet.” It does not erase the things we lost, or felt, or wish had been different, but it does hold space for something else. The trauma happened, and yet… you survived. You are still worthy of love. What happened was not your fault. And the story of your life is still being written.