Rising Through the Ashes
By Kateb Nuri-Alim Shunnar
There was a time when I felt utterly crushed by the weight of my circumstances. Everything that could go wrong seemed to be happening all at once. I found myself staring at an unexpected bill that I had no way of paying, my mind spinning with worry. I could barely sleep, and when I did, it was with a heavy heart and a gnawing sense of dread. I remember sitting in the darkness, feeling completely alone, wondering if I'd ever find my way out of the mess I was in. But it was in that very moment, when I was on the brink of giving up, that a quiet thought emerged—a reminder that this struggle wasn't the end. It was just a chapter, a moment that would pass, like a storm that eventually gives way to sunlight.
I’ve often found that life’s hardest moments are like being buried alive. You can’t see anything but the darkness around you, and you wonder if you’ll ever break free. But just as a seed buried deep in the ground must push through the earth to reach the light, so too must we dig deep within ourselves. I’ve faced my share of darkness, feeling trapped under the weight of expectations, responsibilities, and fears. But with time, I realized that I wasn’t buried—I was planted. I was being given the chance to grow, to find strength I didn’t know I had. And slowly but surely, I began to push through, feeling the warmth of the light on my face once more.
Sometimes, when we’re in the thick of it, we forget that we’re not alone. I know I did. I’ve spent nights lying awake, convinced that there was no way out, that I had to carry the weight of the world on my own. But there’s a current in life, an unseen force that’s always there, guiding us, even when we can’t feel it. I started to notice it in small ways—a friend reaching out unexpectedly, a moment of peace in the chaos, a sudden clarity that I wasn’t expecting. These were the Creator’s whispers, gentle reminders that I was being watched over, even when I couldn’t see the path ahead.
And so, when life tries to burn us to ashes, when the heat feels unbearable, it’s important to remember that this is part of our journey. I’ve learned that the flames don’t destroy us—they refine us. Just like a phoenix, we can rise again, stronger and more resilient. The obstacles we face are not the end; they are the fire that purifies us, the trials that reveal our true strength. We are not defeated, no matter how it may feel in the moment. The Creator is there, lifting us up, helping us to rise again and again, no matter how many times we fall.
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