When my daughter was in middle school, she fell from a slide on a playground and injured her shoulder. Thankfully, she didn’t break anything, but she did have to wear a sling on her arm for a while. That was to prevent further injury or damage as it healed.  However, she got so used to holding her arm close to her body in that protective position, that she kept doing it even after the sling came off.  My mother noticed this and reminded her that there was no longer a need to hold her arm in that position since the sling had already served its purpose. 

My daughter didn’t think she could straighten her arm out without pain. She was right. It did hurt a little at first but each successive time she stretched her arm and used it, the less painful it became.   

Thinking about that made me wonder how often we take on a protective position that slows the healing process after we have been hurt.  Instead of turning to the Lord for strength, we hold onto the memory of the brokenness trying in our own strength to avoid any more pain.  But what we really need to do is stretch our faith and place our trust in God carrying us through the pain.  Instead of nursing the pain, we need to trust the process.  The healing process.

We may not even realize that we are taking the easy route of stay in a position of protecting ourselves from pain instead of preparing for healing.  Matthew 5:24-33 tells the story of the woman with the issue of blood who pressed her way to Jesus through a crowd because she believed that if she could just touch the hem of his garment she would be healed.  The thing that amazes me in this story is his response to her touch.  He said, “your faith has healed you”.  She acted on her faith.  She still had to press her way to Jesus through the crowd.  But she persevered and was healed.  Likewise, our faith must be exercised.  Just like a wounded limb on our body needs physical exercise to heal and regain strength.

I don’t know where you find yourself today in the healing process.  You may have been hurt by a loved one, blindsided by a terminal illness or financial disaster or wounded in the house of a friend.  But you don’t have to stay there.  I encourage you to get up and move and allow for a complete healing from the inside out.

Don’t let fear of the initial pain of recovery rob you of a more mature relationship with the Lord.  Don’t walk around unhealed dealing with the daily pain of life’s scar tissue.  God is still in the healing business and it’s not too late for the healing to begin.  Let Go and Let God!

Be Blessed,

Shelia