“Kicking against the pricks” has taken on a new meaning for me. A quick snap and we are broken, yet it can take weeks, months and years to heal. A harsh word spoken in haste can do damage that takes years to overcome, to restore trust, and to return to full fellowship. We are called to wait… and wait… and wait. In a world of constant instant gratification, waiting on the process is not an easy task. Waiting on the Lord’s timing seems to overwhelm the soul and often creates feelings of frustration or despair, whether you are waiting for an answer to prayer, waiting on the outcome of an uncomfortable situation or waiting on long awaited healing. The past 6 months have been a waiting game.
There are days I have no energy to get moving in the day. There are days my legs and hips ache and walking around the house or the garden seems impossible and like I’ve been trekking across the prairie pulling a loaded hand cart through two feet of snow. There are days I feel desperate for some healing.
Then I hear God’s whisper, “Patience, young one. Healing takes time.”
All healing takes time. Healing isn’t a one-time fix. There is no magic wand, no wonder pill, no special elixir that will make it all better now. Whether our wounds are physical, or spiritual, or mental, time and the healing power of Jesus Christ are our greatest ally. We must come to terms with however long it takes. We must develop faith, hope, and charity in Christ.
The past 6 months have taught me that healing is a triad – a little like faith, hope, and charity. Healing and changing involve my physical being, my emotional being and my spiritual being. They are inseparable. If I want to have physical healing, weight reduction, an improved mood, stronger relationships or any other type of healing in my life, I MUST pay attention to all three areas of my BEING all at the same time. When there is a deficiency in one, the rest suffers and healing stalls.
“Health is a complete harmony of the body, mind, and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.” – B.K.S. Iyengar
It is my experience that God is quick to forgive, but I often carry the sting of the wound for what seems like an eternity. What if we “healed” as quickly as we “broke?” That would be cool. But that is against the wisdom of God’s plan. “There must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things…” (2 Nephi 2:11). If we were to heal at the same moment we felt injured we would fail to learn the most important lessons God intends for us. The experience would lose its impact. As we work through the process, trusting in the healing power of Jesus, we are allowed to reflect on the frailty of life. We learn to honor and to protect the gift of a physical body. We learn to be wiser with our words and our actions. We learn to make elevated choices. We learn to cherish our relationships with family and friends and especially, with God. We learn to depend on God and to accept the gift of peace.
Christ is always in the healing process. His mercy and grace can be found in the healing of bones and circulatory systems, friendships and family relationships, and emotional and spiritual aspects of our beings. The gift of grace, in the length of our healing time, offers us an opportunity to walk with The Healer. We are given the opportunity to learn from The Creator the causes and cautions of the initial injury. He will reveal to us our true nature as children of God capable of many great things. We will be restored to a higher self. He will show us His tender kindness as we encounter God as He is with who we really are.
I hear God whispering, “Have patience. You will heal with dedication and consistency. Trust in me. Trust the process.”
Thus, I take baby steps. I place one foot in front of the other. I get up when I want to lay down. I spend time in His Word. I work in the conversation of prayer. I release emotions as they come up (I am learning to be an Emotion Code practitioner – more on that in a different post). I spend time in my pool, on the stationary bike, doing yoga and working in the garden. I serve others as I can. I am working on trusting the Lord in baby steps.
On the hard days I remember this:
Take heart.
God has not forgotten you.
He is present with you in the slow unfolding of restoration and ascension.
Wait with patience… God has a plan.
Jesus is the plan.
Resigning as the General Manager of the Universe 