Stand in Your Fullness

So now here I am, clothed in my womanhood, standing in my power. Here I am, stronger than I ever would have imagined I could be, more free than I ever thought possible, living with more purpose than I ever dreamt I’d find.

So now here I am, looking back at the girl I once was – the girl who in some ways burned to ashes and yet in others still lives somewhere inside. The child who in some ways still lives inside of us all.

I look back at that girl – at the frightened child, the needy girlfriend, the lonely daughter, the angry young woman. I look back at the judger, the sinner, the offender, the liar, the beggar, the breaker. I look back and I can forgive. I can accept. I can love her in all the ways she thought she needed others to love her. I can love her in the ways she thought she didn’t deserve.

Now I can truly love who I am because I know how to love who I was.

Now I stand in my fullness and know that when I look back, I’m really just looking in. There’s no need to hide behind the illusion of linear time. There’s no more need to pretend that I’m better in one stage than another. There’s no longer a desire to divide and conquer aspects of myself – and so neither is there a need to divide and judge aspects of others.

Now, what compassion I have when looking back, I also have when looking out. Because I accept and love all of myself, I also can accept and love all of the world around me. Now, I stand here clothed in my womanhood, standing in my power, yet I remain naked and vulnerable, open and accepting.

I stand here and I look out at the fresh-faced girls, at the young women, at those just discovering their strength, at those still struggling against their true selves. I look out and I say to them, you can. You will. You do. You are.

You do have that kind of strength. You are that kind of love. You do that kind of work. You are that kind of beauty. You will make that kind of difference.

Whatever you imagine you can be, you are. Whatever beautiful, powerful, influential, creative, loving version of yourself you can dream up and hope for, you already are. Whatever strength, whatever compassion, whatever force you can imagine, you already own. You already are. It’s all there. Waiting. Waiting to be accepted and loved. Waiting to be embraced and then let out into the world.

You are the savior you’ve been looking for. You are the heroine you admire. You are the glorious goddess of creative, compassionate, confident, caring, cooperative, capable, courageous power of your dreams.

And the sooner you believe it, the sooner you accept it, the sooner you forgive yourself for believing anything less, the sooner you will start to step into that power.

To all of the women out there, and to the men too, you already have what you’re looking for. You already contain that which you seek. You are what you hope to be. All you need to do is recognize it. Embrace it. Believe it. And act on it.

We are all strong. We are all weak. We are all young and old, wise and winsome, foolish and frightened. We are all of the above and so much more. All any of us need do is choose how and when to claim it. Whatever you really believe, whatever you cherish and hold in the highest esteem, whatever you set your mind to, you can do. You can be. You can create. Because it’s all already there.

But you have to be honest. You have to be fearless. You have to accept all of you. You have to see and show love to your every shadow before you can tap into your true light.

This truth is why I can stand here now and celebrate the fullness of who I am. This truth is why the only love I was waiting for was my own. The only strength I lacked was that which I didn’t believe I had. The only compassion I needed was what I withheld from myself.

So now here I am, clothed in my womanhood, standing in my power, and I say to all of you – just look within and believe. Look for the universe within you. Listen for the whispers of wisdom echoing through the corridors of your own heart. Open up the windows and let yourself out. There’s no need to wait. It’s already there. Just believe in yourself. Always believe in yourself and it will be. It must be, because it already is.

©2017 Cristen Rodgers