Spiritual healing takes time and work, but the results are life changing.
A few years back, my daddy had knee replacement surgery. It was a long and painful road for him to get to that point. He had considerable pain in his knee for quite some time, but it was a pain he was familiar with. The surgery was a different kind of pain altogether and it was unfamiliar. So, he waited.
He lived with the discomfort for a long time and limped sometimes which caused other parts of his body to suffer. At some point, he and his doctor finally decided that the time had come and he reluctantly agreed to the surgery.
He was told going in that the most important part of knee replacement surgery is the rehab that comes afterward. When the surgical wounds finally begin to heal, you have to go to regular physical therapy sessions to make the new knee move with the leg like it’s supposed to. The sessions can be grueling.
Many people just refuse to go because they can’t deal with the pain involved with the healing. But, the ones who do go and perform all of the required exercises, feel like brand new people. In time, their new knee works better than ever. They are pain-free and have a new lease on life.
I watched Daddy go through all of that and he came out on the other side like a champ, even though the days in between were sometimes dark.
I was thinking how we have a tendency to carry around old injuries like Daddy’s knee that needed replaced. We sometimes carry anger, resentment, regret, emotional pain and guilt, wrapped securely around our hearts. We know it’s not healthy. We know it’s painful, yet it’s something we are familiar with. We are reluctant to let it go because we don’t know or trust what will be on the other side.
When, at some point, for whatever reason, we are convicted to let these things go and lay them at the foot of the cross, we want to believe that’s the end. While it’s true that we are granted forgiveness, whenever we repent and ask, healing takes some time. True healing is like rehab after knee surgery.
We have to begin our day with prayer about that healing. We can seek out others who are on the same path. We can find a church and a small group within, who will love and support us. We can find a wise, Christian mentor to help us along the way. We can read our Bibles to fully appreciate God’s grace and mercy.
Healing takes time and work, but when it’s done, Jesus heals all of it. Even the most impossible cases can be totally transformed. The key is our willingness. Just like physical rehab, the spiritual rehab has to be done by a willing participant. It can’t be forced.
But, the results, well those are life changing. They even have eternal implications. We have to remember not to neglect the rehab. It’s just too important.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂