Once upon a time, I was fiercely — even bluntly — truthful. I saw Truth highlighted like a jewel: radiant, undeniable, waiting to be noticed.
And I threw it like a rock.
That’s how it landed too: a blow to the head instead of a gift to the heart.
I called it “Love via SledgeHammer.” I thought saying it straight was the most respectful — even the most loving — thing I could do. The problem? My “love” usually knocked people flat. They shut down. I got labeled “the problem.” And my heart? Misunderstood again.
At the time, I couldn’t grasp why truth that seemed so obvious to me was invisible to others. Then someone said: “They don’t know what they don’t know.” That had to marinate.
Over time, I realized: truth isn’t received just because it’s true. If it’s not delivered in a way the heart can hear, it bounces off and rolls away like rubble.
That was the beginning of a shift.
Metaphors Became My Lifeline
Jesus spoke in parables — stories and pictures that slipped past defenses and landed in the heart.
For me, metaphors weren’t just creative. They were survival.
Whole seasons of my childhood are missing. My memories are locked. All I had to work with were emotions — raw, sharp, overwhelming.
Metaphors became the bridge between those emotions and truth. They helped me make sense of chaos when straight facts couldn’t. They gave my Little a language to speak, and my Big a way to listen.
So I shifted from SledgeHammer to Storyteller. I began carrying truth not as a weapon, but as treasure wrapped in metaphor.
Where This Is Going
This is the first step in a bigger journey I want to share with you.
What comes next isn’t polished or pretty. These are the landmines I stumbled across — the raw edges of my story. At the time, I didn’t see any lemonade in them, only explosions.
But looking back, I see Jesus was already at work. He was planting seeds of treasure that would one day grow into the Peace Train journey I now walk — and invite you to walk too.
If something here resonates with you, there’s a simple next step:
Begin with the free What’s Good About You? Quiz.
It isn’t a test — it’s a treasure map. A way to see how you process emotions and where hidden landmines may have left clues.
From there, you’ll be able to watch the What’s Good About You? Challenge replays and step onto the Peace Train journey.
Maybe this is your next breadcrumb.