Healing is a process.
“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we don’t give up” Galations 6:9
I love gardening. I love planting seeds, watering them and seeing them grow. I have a small garden bed at the front of our house, and it needs weekly attention. If I don’t water the garden, prune the trees or pull out the weeds, the plants will die and get overgrown with weeds. I planted some seeds and over a process of a few months, I watched them grow into plants. It was so satisfying to see them flourish into plants.
I was thinking about the process of watching the plants grow and related it to how God watches us grow as we mature in strong, healthy Christians. None of us are perfect and we all need “watering and pruning”. There are times in our lives when God needs to do work on our heart and our soul. If we are committed to the process of growing, then we will grow into all that God has for us. I like to think of my life being like a fruit tree. A fruit tree begins with a seed, it then turns into a sapling and throughout the years, the tree needs branches cut away, watering and sometimes tree’s need a stake put beside it to help it grow. As tree grows it develops a strong root system that helps to hold the trunk up. The deeper the root system of the tree, the higher it can grow, and the stronger it will be when winds and storms come. The final result of the fruit tree being fully grown is it producing fruit. When the tree is healthy and strong, it can produce fruit.
Forgiveness and healing are essential for us to flourish and thrive in our lives.
I love the verse in 2 Kings 20:5 that says "This is what the Lord says: I have heard your prayers and seen your tears and I will heal you".
That is God's promise to us, as we enter the process of healing.
Being in the process of growing, learning and changing takes effort, but would you rather spend time on moving forward or use your energy to focus on the past?
Healing takes time. It is a process.
Lets face it, we have all been hurt, disappointed, betrayed, left out or rejected at some stage in our lives. We will continue to have the opportunity to forgive others for as long as we live. Forgiveness leads to healing and healing leads us to restoration. I know there have been seasons in my life when I hurting and I kept forgiving and working through the pain. It took time, but God lead me through the process and I can say that I have healing and restoration in that area of my life.
On the other side of our hurt, disappointment, rejection and pain is God's joy, hope, peace and strength.
I wouldn’t be who I am today, if I didn’t face those moments of difficulty, because I allowed them to change me and make me kinder towards others, gracious, more forgiving and patient.
Wherever you are in the “process” at the moment, I want to encourage you to keep moving forward. No matter how hard or painful it is at the moment, the goal is to heal and become like a tree that is healthy, strong and producing fruit.
Healing is a process and it takes time, so be patient with yourself as God leads you forward on your journey.