The healing journey is a winding path. You feel like you're moving forward then you're moving backward, sideways, upside down, and back to forward again. I need you to know that it is very normal. It's a daily struggle to face the unknown ahead, as the unknown can be frightening to all of us. It can make you feel isolated, as if no one comprehends what you're experiencing, and that can be challenging! But rest assured, God is always by our side and will never leave.
The healing journey can only be navigated successfully by remembering all of God's promises. He assures us that he will:
- guard your heart and mind (Philippians 4:6-7)
- give you His peace (John 14:27)
- comfort you in all your troubles (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
- help you & strengthen you (Isaiah 41:10)
- bless, protect, and be gracious to you (Numbers 6:24-26)
- give you rest when you're weary and burdened (Matthew 11:28-30)
- hear & answer your prayers (1 John 5:14-15)
- supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19)
Whatever your path to healing involves, whatever mysteries remain unanswered, whatever uncertainties lie ahead, we can seek comfort in the one constant we can rely on - God. Constantly and unwaveringly.
It’s a tough journey - one week you’re a total mess, the next things improve & you feel better, and then suddenly it feels like you’re starting over again. The pain is real and it's raw, and gets unbearable at times but it's crucial to embrace it, feel it, and work through it. Suppressing it only delays healing and masks the true source of pain.
We cannot hide it with a smile or bury it in our thoughts. 'Outta sight outta mind' won't work as it will keep resurfacing. We cannot escape into something new to mask the pain. We have to feel and process it to heal effectively and avoid carrying the hurt into the next phase of our lives. The only way out is through!
Romans 5:3-5 has been my go-to verse during this very long healing journey and when it gets really ugly and hard, that’s when I run to this verse. It reads; “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
I have this verse written everywhere! Beside my bed, on my bathroom mirror, in my car & the kitchen. I need it very often!! I’m just being real. These past 3-4 years have been tough, to say the least. One day I will tell my whole story when the time is right. I feel like I need to get through the entire healing process before I tell my story to be sure it's not told out of hurt, anger, or any other negative way. It needs to be told out of love, even though it is a painful story to tell.
People often tell me that with all I’ve been through the past 3-4 years, they don’t understand how strong I have been through it all. Truth is I’m not. At all! I am weak, I have meltdowns, I can be fine one minute and then break into a million pieces the next. I cry a lot, I have severe anxiety, and I am often a hot mess! The strength I have comes from the Lord. I read something that stuck with me a while back and I am so thankful I came across it because I have needed it more than ever in the past 3-4 years. It said the key to making it through the difficult things we endure and unbearable situations is this:
Inhale God’s Word, exhale in prayer, rest in God’s love and you will be restored.
This is why I constantly speak about how important it is to open the bible and read for yourself. It’s magical (I don’t know another way to describe it). I've seen and experienced how the Lord will make the words jump off the page straight into your soul! So when doubt creeps in, or I’m having a meltdown, that is where I run, straight to my bible, and inhale it by reading the word and exhale in prayer and God’s love keeps me well rested until I will be restored and healed.
Healing takes time but most importantly it takes God to help because there’s no other way to truly heal without Him. Also remember it is ok to feel upset, hurt, and angry. Allow yourself some time to feel those things, just don’t stay there, and don’t sin while in the anger stage. Some advice to help you while you’re in this stage:
- Journal - write down your feelings
- Have a “go-to person” that you can talk to and tell anything without judgment because some of the things that cross your mind can be a little crazy.
- Open your bible - this one is so important! The amount of PEACE that comes with doing this is incredible.
- Learn to try to redirect your thoughts as you feel the hurt and anger. Train your brain to choose to think about something else.
Once you write your feelings down or do any of these things above, pray and tell God you’re giving it to him and mean it. Let him have it. It takes time to get through this part but God is always right there with you and opening your Bible and reading the word will help you feel and hear him more than you can imagine.
If you’re struggling, open your Bible up to the verses I put next to each one of God’s promises and dig in. That’s where the real comfort comes from when we open the word with our own two hands and read it with our own two eyes. That’s where the power comes from, opening the word. (Even if it’s only 5-10 mins) I promise it does wonders!
Everyone’s healing journey is different but no matter how different they are there is one thing that is the same, and that is to properly heal we have to have God’s help. He comforts us, gives us strength, protects us, and gives us peace.
Let me know if I can pray for you in any way.
You can leave a comment below or if you’d like to be more detailed without your comment being public you can also go to our prayer request page and submit it there. It’s 100% confidential and is only used for prayer purposes only. If you’re struggling really badly and need someone to talk to, reach out to me, I’d love to hear from you! Email me at FollowerOfFaithApparel@gmail.com.
If you don't own a bible you can access one free online! Go to Bible.com
If you need more resources to help you with your healing journey please visit Healing Tree HealingTreeNonProfit.org, they have great resources if you have no one to talk to. They can help with trauma-based healing and so much more. (this is not a paid advertisement, it's simply a recommendation.)
For help with domestic abuse/violence please please visit thehotline.org