Nothing Is Wasted — Car Window Poetry

"Your pain will either be your prison or your platform." – Carl Lentz

Back in August, I started Car Window Poetry as a way for people to express themselves and help others through feelings of shame and inadequacy. However, my own feelings of shame and inadequacy could've kept me from pursuing Car Window Poetry altogether.

Inadequacy says, "You're not good enough."

Shame says, "You'll never be good enough."

That's where these feelings can be so imprisoning. I find myself often thinking, 'Why should I continue moving forward when I'll always be in the same lowly place?'

But this is a lie. We must keep moving forward. My story matters. Your story matters. Nothing you've been through is wasted. Everything you've experienced can be expressed to help somebody else. Your wounds can be your neighbor's healing.

With that in mind, I started Car Window Poetry. I knew I wasn't alone in feeling ashamed or inadequate. I knew there was someone else out there, even if it was only one person, who may need a well-timed word to make it through sometimes. I set out to use my greatest weakness to strengthen others, and thankfully other people, some in states I've never even been to before, have joined me in covering communities across America with beauty and hope.

What was intended to kill you may be what gives others life. Use it.

Just in case you're wondering, here's what #HonestyHour is all about. We teamed up with a small group of social media influencers and other brands to begin this series with one goal in mind – connect on a deeper, more human level through genuine perspectives. Social media can be all kinds of wonderful and all kinds of terrible at the same time. We hope to engage each other in a communal way that goes further than a highlight reel of our perfectly curated feeds.