Healing; pronounced as /ˈhēliNG/.
Healing,
I wish your process was as fast as your pronunciation; it's not.
Healing, you hurt; you hurt a lot. Sometimes I wonder if you’re really on my side or if you’re just another deceiver. Do you promise improvement and then not complete? Do you offer hope and then leave one empty handed? I wonder because every time I give you a chance so much pain arises; along with so much confusion and so much anger that blend oh so well together.
I don’t understand you Healing, sometimes we seem to be friends making progress then other times it seems like you’re out to get me. You’re out to get me thinking about past hurts that I’d much rather leave behind. You’re out to get me questioning whether I really forgave someone or not. Please be honest, are you truly here to help?
Writing to you is supposed to help me, but how does it make sense that every time I write in the name of Healing I end up with an uninvited guest to my party of three (Paper, Pen, and I)? Tears always joins in. Is that a friendship combo thing? Because I’m not sure if I like her or not; perhaps I’m just not used to her presence.
I’m glad I can be honest with you.
I wrote this letter at the beginning of my healing journey. “Journey” definitely belongs after the word “healing” as it can surely be a lengthy process from a place of sorrow to a place of joy. Here's some things I've learned about healing:
Healing is not linear
Healing will have you feeling both light and heavy at the same time. Healing will arise both warm feelings and cold ones. Sometimes in order to heal we have to identify and dig out certain roots that don’t belong inside of us. Sometimes it seems easier to ignore unhealthy roots than to dig them out; however, these roots then grow weeds (unhealthy behaviors, thoughts, emotions) we see and label as just part of “who we are”. It’s important to acknowledge roots and the effects of what they produce, this will aid you in understanding why you feel, think, or do certain things, but these roots should not define who you are or who you can become.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10) There’s nothing more that the enemy desires than for you to believe and ground yourself based on lies. The lie that what happened to you defines you. The lie that you can’t forgive. The lie that the pain will never end. The lie that hope will never be found. The lie that you aren’t truly forgiven. The lie that God doesn’t love you. The lie that God doesn’t hear you. The lie that God doesn’t care.
The lie that you can’t ever change.
Healing is Complex
What we fail to so often realize (or remember) is that we are humans made up of three parts: body, soul, and spirit. All three parts were damaged and flawed the moment Adam and Eve sinned. We now struggle with our physical, social, and spiritual wellness. These three parts can and do affect one another. For example, getting physically sick (body) can affect your beliefs (soul) and make you feel anxious. Or vice versa, being anxious (soul) can affect your physical health (body). Throughout life we come upon countless experiences that affect our body, soul, and/or mind in various ways. Some of these experiences leave wounds in our body, soul, and/or mind. This is why healing is very complex. Growing up we often heard people mention their physical and spiritual health a lot in the church. They asked prayer for afflictions that targeted their bodies and spiritual life. However, you are not strange or alone if you’re a Christian who also struggles mentally. God knows and God cares; He cares for every area in our lives and being.
Healing is possible in Christ.
This next verse brings me so much comfort and proves just what I said:
"Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it." (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)
Peace really stands out to me in this verse, as peace is something we all so strongly desire.. peace; and freedom from that which disturbs our body, soul, and spirit. God is the God of peace, only in Him is true peace found. Only He can sanctify us completely and declare us holy. Only He can keep our whole being blameless as Christ returns. If God is faithful (which He is) then He is worthy of trust, trust that He will surely do what He says. Healing is possible in Christ.
“Life is not a straight line leading from one blessing to the next and then finally to heaven. Life is a winding and troubled road. Switchback after switchback. And the point of biblical stories like Joseph and Job and Esther and Ruth is to help us feel in our bones (not just know in our heads) that God is for us in all these strange turns. God is not just showing up after the trouble and cleaning it up. He is plotting the course and managing the troubles with far-reaching purposes for our good and for the glory of Jesus Christ.” - John Piper
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