The idea that we have to endure pain to heal is gruesome, ugly, and messy, and truth be told, we don’t like to face it. I remember in 2014 when I lost one of the greatest women in my life. No lie, she was perfect in my eyes! She showed me the ropes to becoming a woman because, at the tender age of 19, not only was I broken, I was unaware of the value I possessed. My life was declining in various ways that, at the time, created a sense of hardness in my heart. So, to have this relationship broken through me completely off because I knew this woman would be in my life for the long haul. However, I have learned through the healing journey that you won't always be surrounded by the same people you start with. At that time, dealing with that level of brokenness was unbearable. Not only was I upset, but I was also convicted of being upset at what I felt I had a right to be upset about. Yeah, it is true; for the Christian, constant dying to yourself comes with facing the pain you feel.
What I mean by this is you will always be confronted with options, and in this fickle world, options that will never nearly stand next to the power of God’s will in our lives. As God presented this amazing opportunity to heal from this specific place, I was forced to forgive. Forgiveness is one of those things we say we do but don’t do, and that is the challenge to do what God calls us to do while facing the reality of wanting to do what we feel like doing.
Healing hurts, there is no easy way around it, and depending on the level of hurt, your process will hurt more than you would like it to. When I asked God to heal my heart from the betrayal and unforgiving spirit that did not want to release its hold on me, I found out that I was assuming and even expecting that there would be no resistance or stinging to the already broken parts of me. I wanted the process to be easy, light, quick, fast, and in a hurry. However, it was the exact opposite; I was forced to deal with myself, and I was angry with God as if he loved me more than the woman I had just lost. God is not going to change his word for you, period! The same call is mandated to us all, but the choice is ours, no matter how difficult the pain is. There is something important I desire that you grasp from this blog, it is okay to be hurt by any amount of pain you’re feeling. I don’t suggest you suppress the pain. I only ask that you face it with an open heart and bear the uncomfortable feeling of the hurt so that you can heal.
There will be growing pains! You will feel the transformation of authentic healing as you make the needed adjustments and meet the special requirements that were specifically made for you to embrace in your process. Sanctification is like that, you will often make a decision that points you in a greater direction, but along the journey, after making that decision, you will be forced to make the decision again and again and again and again.
Do you want to heal? Life is going to hurt, but decide to heal, and when you feel the hurt or are reminded by the pain of who, what, where, and when, choose to heal again, and again, and again and again. You will find that when you do this, the broken parts of you will begin to find the restoration that is needed in the hearts of us all. Our faith-based approach extends its arms of love and forgiveness as we will instill in those we serve and even those who have hurt us how to move forward in life despite the outcome of the narrative fitting to our liking.
There is, by the way, such a thing as pain that heals. Some of us would never have the opportunity to know God as a healer, despite the agony of our pain.
The painful process of healing is just that, painful, but it is also beautiful!
By sharing the information
God has given me, I hope to serve you in the greatest way possible. But I also want to help you by providing an opportunity for us to connect.
Respond to the following probing questions!
What is stopping you from healing from that one thing no one knows you need healing from?
Why is the healing journey so challenging to embrace?
Who would you become if you accepted that healing hurts but does not have to be why you don’t heal?
Until next time tribe, I love you!
Your Healing Coach,
Shayla A Smith
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