Bled but Not Dead

I’m not a bad person because I maxed out my credit cards.

I’m not a bad person because I quit jobs too fast.

I’m not a bad person because I’ve been fired.

I’m not a bad person because I slept all day.

I’m not a bad person because I couldn’t get out of bed.

I’m not a bad person because I was manic.

I’m not a bad person because I was psychotic.

I’m not a bad person because I was depressed.

I’m not a bad person because I’ve been hospitalized seventeen times.

I’m not a bad person because I lost my temper.

I’m not a bad person because I yelled at people I loved.

I’m not a bad person because I broke down in public.

I’m not a bad person because I drank too much whiskey.

I’m not a bad person because I smoked for ten years.

I’m not a bad person because I craved lust.

I’m not a bad person because I watched porn.

I’m not a bad person because I went to a strip club.

I’m not a bad person because I paid for intimacy.

I’m not a bad person because I still feel temptation.

I’m not a bad person because I doubted God.

I’m not a bad person because I turned away from church.

I’m not a bad person because I questioned my faith.

I’m not a bad person because I thought of ending my life.

I’m not a bad person because I tried to end my life.

I’m not a bad person because I carry scars inside and out.

I’m not a bad person because people walked away from me.

I’m not a bad person because friends stopped talking to me.

I’m not a bad person because I’ve felt alone.

I’m not a bad person because I gained 100 pounds.

I’m not a bad person because I lost myself in food.

I’m not a bad person because I lost my sister.

I’m not a bad person because I cried until I couldn’t breathe.

I’m not a bad person because I miss my dad.

I’m not a bad person because grief still grips me.

I’m not a bad person because I’ve been bitter.

I’m not a bad person because I’ve blamed others.

I’m not a bad person because I’ve run from purpose.

I’m not a bad person because I haven’t figured it all out.

I’m not a bad person because I’m still here.

I am a man who has survived seventeen hospitalizations.

I am a man who has walked through mania and come back.

I am a man who has faced psychosis and still found clarity.

I am a man who lives with depression and still rises.

I am a man who has endured lust’s pull and kept his vow.

I am a man who has been tempted but not destroyed.

I am a man who has faced loss and still breathes.

I am a man who buried his father but carries his wisdom.

I am a man who lost his sister but honors her memory.

I am a man who knows grief and still hopes.

I am a man who cried out for help and found grace.

I am a man who questioned God but still wrestles with Him.

I am a man who carries faith like a scar — real and unshakable.

I am a man who is called Tzadik, walking in righteousness.

I am a man who was baptized twice and reborn twice.

I am a man who traveled to Haiti and wept for others’ pain.

I am a man who worked in startups and built success.

I am a man who lost 100 pounds and proved his strength.

I am a man who writes his scars into poetry.

I am a man who created the Library of Light in his imagination.

I am a man who dreams of helping others heal.

I am a man who mentors with wisdom beyond his years.

I am a man who supports friends when they’re on the edge.

I am a man who keeps showing up for work, even tired.

I am a man who carries compassion into every shift.

I am a man who loves words, books, and truth.

I am a man who sees God as water — vast and fluid.

I am a man who has thought of death and still chooses life.

I am a man who is resilient.

I am a man who is loved.

I am a man who is more than enough.

I’m not defined by the scars I bear,

I am a man — and I am still here.