Healing Journeys

How many individuals talk about their healing journey? Question: is that actually biblical for Christians? The answer could be yes and no. When some talk about said journey, they center on a single issue, or perhaps a few, and turn it into a lifelong expedition. Do you suppose the Lord intended for us to carry emotional pain for years and years? Did He intend for us to carry trauma our entire life? Does He actually want us to dwell on our past, or perhaps more accurately, live there?
Healing journeys can turn pain into pets, which tend to keep one self-centered. They cause us to center on issues that are not in keeping with ones of which God might want us to focus. Such as repentance, loving others well and much more. It may actually rob Him of glory, and the honor He deserves. Especially when you consider why Jesus came to the earth. Have you considered so-called healing journeys are a form of bondage?
Some circle around their pain like those who circle around a fire and roast marshmallows. They are mesmerized by their hurts like those who gaze into the fire, and cannot turn their gaze from its hot embers. Ironically, focusing on the past continuously pierces the heart, while a campfire warms it, and the fire of God heals it. If one were to release his past, he might find the campfire far more enjoyable. Hmmm.
What does the Bible say about these things?  

Jesus Came to Heal the Brokenhearted

Luke 4:18,19,21 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. . . And He began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
Jesus clearly says, “He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted.” To heal means to cure, or make whole. There is no partially healed about it. It is important to note that what Jesus said is what He meant. While He suffered for our sake, and we suffer for His sake (to varying degrees), He did not intend for us suffer from our past. All of us have, and/or will get hurt. Pain is inevitable; nonetheless, we do not have to endure it for the rest of our lives.
Jesus also said, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” He did not say will be fulfilled, and that means a broken heart does not have to wait until Heaven to be made whole.
Moreover Jesus said, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:16-17).
What are some byproducts of Holy Spirit being with us? Love, joy, and peace, along with the rest of the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23). Is suffering attached to these? Another consideration is some of the ways He shows up, which is known as the manifestation of the Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 12:7-11. One element listed is gifts of healing (verse nine). Notice its plural form, which points to the whole person (spirit, heart, soul, mind and body).
The point is there is healing for a broken heart, and for any trauma someone may be carrying. Without doing a deep dive, trauma is caused by a painful, stressful, or shocking experience. It is found or stored in the body (primarily the brain), which causes various emotional responses. It is not necessary to go through years of therapy in order to get better, or as some people think of it, cope with the pain.
Healing does not include coping with suffering, because there is nothing with which to cope when someone is healed. That being said, counseling with others can be beneficial with the help of Holy Spirit.

The Healing Process

Unexplainable emotional reactions and behavior are symptoms of trauma. There’s something under the surface that is trying manifest. When you cannot figure why certain things “trigger” you, which cause you to behave in ways that are not in character, that is a good time to seek counsel.
Holy Spirit does bring direct clarity when we ask for wisdom, but there may be times He leads us to others. They can help us sift through the muck, and see what is getting the in the way, as He guides the conversation. He may give that person a word of knowledge and/or a word of wisdom (see 1 Corinthians 12:8). The word of knowledge reveals what is going on, and the word of wisdom reveals the how to do deal with it. We actually do need each other. We can help one another see blinds spots, and point them out. As fun as that might be to the recipient, it does require humility to receive.
When clarity comes, so comes the opportunity to release the pain, and receive His perfect healing for us. He may simply ask you, “What do you want to do with it?” At which point you are given a choice: either release it, or keep it.” Sometimes the release means forgiving others, yourself, an event, or even God, Himself. Even though He is God, people sometimes hold Him in unforgiveness, even if they do not want to admit it.
Anecdotally speaking, I have found that once I have been healed, I may recall painful events, but I see them from a third person perspective. It’s like watching a movie about someone else’s experience, while being emotionally detached. It is as if the events never happened, and have no hold on my life. We can learn from our past, but we are not supposed to live there and suffer.
 Philippians 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.    

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Many Have Had a Rough Life

Truth be told, many have had a rough life growing up. Most have been traumatized on some level. Some on the most extreme. The conditions in which they grew up left imprints that affects their present-day life. Empathy is a very good thing. Understanding cause and effect helps us make room for compassion.

We all want to be understood, but it is equally important to understand that empathy does not equate to a free pass. It is vital to take responsibility for our thoughts, behavior and attitudes. None of us can afford to use our past as an excuse to not improve our life – to make requisite changes for the better. That’s not hyperbole; that’s Bible.

1 Corinthians 10:12 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

When extreme emotions are involved, it is easy to feel as if you are the only one who experiences hardship. Let us underscore the word, feel, because what we feel is not necessarily reality. When emotions are not under subjection to Holy Spirit, they can lie to us. How many assumptions do people make, because of what they feel? For example, one who dislikes himself may superimpose that feeling on someone else. “That person doesn’t like me.”  That feeling produced a perception, which created its own reality. For the sake of the example, the person actually is deeply fond of him.

Damaged emotions can be very deceptive, which is why it’s important to ask God for clarity. Asking one’s self questions can also be helpful. For instance, “Is that really true? What evidence is there?” Sometimes, we need to look outward: “Is that really fair to that person to think such a thing?” Here’s something commonly said: “God hates me.” Since God is love, is that statement based on reality? Of course not. This person simply cannot grasp that God does love him, because he does not love himself. It’s inconceivable to him.

Likewise, people self-sabotage to prove their hypotheses about themselves. Keeping with our example, they may behave badly toward others, in order to incur rejection. “See, I told you they didn’t like me.” How many individuals test God’s love in the same fashion? One quick lesson: one’s behavior does not necessarily point to one’s character. It may reveal a need for healing. A need for change.

It is important to understand there are billions of people who have had it rough. Why is that important? It would be easy to make it about yourself, have a pity party, and fall in love with being a victim. It is self-centered, and unbiblical. It is the polar opposite of His character and image, of which we are called to conform. It’s vital to think differently.

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

A True Disciple Will Change

Matthew 16:24-25 Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.

In order to follow Jesus, we have to let go of everything -including our past. It includes denying ourselves the right to play the victim card. It does not mean we deny things happened; but we don’t turn them into pets to keep on a leash. Taking up our cross means being crucified with Christ.

Philippians 3:7-8 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ (NASB).

Some wear their difficult past as a badge of honor. They take pride in their sufferings, and also use them to manipulate others. When reading, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17), you discover circumstances have changed. It’s harder to feel sorry for ourselves when considering everything God has done for us. Each of us needs to take responsibility for our lives by submitting to Him.

“You don’t understand, my father was never there for me. All he ever did was abuse me.” You have a new Father, Whom you may call ABBA (Daddy). He loves you, and is always with you. If God is our Father, how can any of us feel sorry for his or her self? Some were orphans; and yet, God is a Father to the fatherless. Moreover, He has much better things in store for us. If you want to keep your pet, go ahead. But if you do, you will miss the better things He has for you.

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