This armor we wear
So convincingly
Shouldn’t last forever
It’s not meant to
It’s just supposed to protect us
For a while, while we are raw
And hurting
But we forget to take it off
And we forget we have it on

But over time we weary of it
And long for our nakedness
And innocence

And there it is
The very armor we donned
For protection
Is stuck to us
Locking us in
We thought we were
Keeping the world out
But we were shutting ourselves in

And that is where the journey takes place
With great tenderness and care
Allowing, removing, revealing
Trusting that what is being protected
And imprisoned
Is ready to breathe,
Is ready to stand naked in the world

Eventually the armor must come off
And oh! what lies behind that armor
Is the true beauty and naked truth
That has always been there
Silently and patiently waiting
For that time when it could live again
In freedom and natural joy

This journey is worth everything
Every tear, every struggle
Every drop of surrender
Every rageful scream
And every hot emotion

Whatever it takes to remove the armor
Is worth it
To become naked once again.

Image by TeeFarm from Pixabay