As a child I was the one who caused trouble. My father was a huge part of the church we went to at the time. He was the youth pastor and worship leader of the First Church of the Nazarene of Los Angeles. In elementary school I rarely saw my father. He worked early and when I got home he was sleeping or getting ready to do something at church. This is when I believe my first wall went up. My father was rarely around as a child and expected my mother to take care of us, which she did a great job. I was always teased for being a mama's boy at church. It wasn't my fault. My mother, sister and aunts were the only family I had. Maybe until the seventh grade my father started to be part of my life. The wall that was erected because of my father is a wall that was almost torn down. Little Josue behind this wall wanted his father to hug him and have lots of affection towards him. I didn't have the father figure I should have had. I remember one time, after my parents had an argument, my father left the house so they could both calm down. When my father came back for some reason I was afraid of my father. For much of my childhood I was simply afraid of my father and saw him as an authority figure. Fortunately, as I said before, this wall is almost knocked down. I understand that my father is not perfect, but I also understand that he loves me and wants the best for me. The reason I have this “father wound” is because he is imperfect. My dad and I have a great relationship right now. I believe the wall will never be completely torn down, but my father is now able to walk around the wall and show little Josue how much he loves him and little Josue. The next wall I can think of was built between 1 ...... middle of paper ...... sensations and experiencing them. We all have wounds. For me the biggest ones are the “father wound” and the “romantic wound”. Our task is not to tear down walls but to make them accessible. If we break them down, we are also breaking down a defense mechanism and without it anyone can hurt our inner child. People should understand that we have walls and that they are not always welcome inside them. Walls shouldn't be intimidating, they should be just enough to protect the child within. Like the wall, a wound cannot be erased. People are imperfect and hurt feelings. We must face our wounds and make them part of us. We should not chase them away but welcome them. What we see as an infirmity, God sees as a strength. Once we learn to love ourselves, we learn to love others and this is the greatest commandment God has given us.