The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins.
He will make her deserts like Eden,
Her wastelands like the Garden of the Lord.
Joy and gladness will be found in her,
Thanksgiving and the sound of singing.
Choosing to start or maintain a healing journey takes courage and vulnerability.
There may be times when you feel discouraged or that the process is pointless.
But let me assure you that healing is one of the most loving things you can do for yourself and those close to you.
Self-love and nurturing your soul may be foreign concepts to you now,
But it is my hope and prayer that as you travel through your healing journey that you come to fall in love with healing yourself.
You were created in the image of our Creator with innate worth and purpose and to live a vibrant life.
Healing will,
At times,
Call you to explore difficult areas and pain may surface.
Extend grace to yourself and rest when needed.
There is no rush in the healing process and more importantly,
No competition.
Picture your mind,
Body,
And soul as the precious gems that they are and use this gentleness to take the first step.
In the beginning,
God created.
The first thing we're told about the character of God is that he created.
How radical is it that we were created in the image of the Creator?
I believe that the craving for purpose we experience is due to the fact that we are innately creative souls.
Since we are created to create,
We can rest assured that finding our purpose is always possible.
This knowledge is profoundly encouraging,
But our creativity can often be overshadowed by numerous factors.
As life progresses,
We may become saddled with addictions,
Trauma,
Stress,
Or limiting beliefs.
Healing tends to be put on the back burner in favor of numbness.
A sort of callous begins to form around our hearts.
The defensive shell around our hearts acts as a guard to keep anything from piercing our soul.
But it also prevents anything from flowing from our hearts,
Including expression,
Authenticity,
And love.
We fear healing because of what we might face.
Brene Brown,
A renowned shame and vulnerability expert,
Says this on the matter,
We cannot selectively numb emotions.
When we numb the painful emotions,
We also numb the positive emotions.
As creatives,
And every human being is a creative,
We often have thousands of thoughts swirling in our mind at any given time.
The negative internal dialogue we have replaying in our minds can significantly impact our creativity,
Healing process,
And overall well-being.
Once we are able to acknowledge these racing thoughts for the lies that they are,
We are that much closer to a sound mind.
Pinpointing the root of our trauma is often the first place we need to start.
It can be a seemingly dreaded task to dig up all of our old wounds,
But resolution is key.
Healing starts with chipping away at the cage protecting our hearts.
We are not quite capable of feeling completely when we have resigned ourselves to camp out in the land of dulled senses.
We create patterns and design comfort zones based on numbness.
We push away healing triggers and choose to ignore them.
When an unresolved issue rises to the surface of our minds,
We tend to turn in the other direction or silence that still small voice.
We have been conditioned to desire,
Almost expectantly,
A pain-free life.
Initially,
Healing has an element of pain,
But it is not a permanent pain.
In the same way a physical wound goes through a healing process,
So do our souls.
The initial dull shock,
The searing,
The disbelief,
They are all present.
What is the first step of healing after we are wounded?
We clean the wound.
Yes,
The sting can be breathtaking,
But what is our alternative?
If we skip the most important step,
The cleaning and the dressing of the wound,
We risk infection.
Infection delays the healing process and leads to future complications.
It is crucial that we take care to cleanse the wound no matter the sting.
Once we apply the salve and bandage,
It is just a matter of time before the wound begins to close.
When fully healed,
There may be a scar or distant memory,
But the general bulk of the pain will be calmed.
The other side of healing is akin to the promised land.
It reveals a soft heart,
One that glows with peace and authenticity,
Wild creativity,
And a confident sense of destiny.
The bedrock of our souls must have a solid foundation.
Our mind,
Body,
And spirit are all intertwined and have an effect on each other.
We need to gain a soul-level knowing of who created us and for what purpose we were designed.
The realization that we are created in the Creator's image is truly transformative.
The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins.
He will make her deserts like Eden,
Her wastelands like the Garden of the Lord.
Joy and gladness will be found in her,
Thanksgiving and the sound of singing.
