Healing -You Can Look Back… But Don’t Stare

I have had to do alot of healing in the past 27 years.  If there is one thing that I have learned,  pain can be good.  It can be a good motivator to moving forward.  Whether it’s the pain of where your own choices have gotten you today.  Or the pain of what has been done to you and the scars you live with because of them today.

We all come to many crossroads in our lives.  We can choose to move forward or we can choose to stay stuck.  For me,  I was desperate to do whatever it took to change.  I have chosen to move forward.  I have had the opportunity to seek healing many times…the prompter…pain.

Inevitably we are all going to have to make the choice – live in the pain from the past forever or live in the pain of healing for temporary.

I am a big baby.  I hate pain.  I have felt stuck when I get into emotional pain,  as if it will last forever!  But of course it doesn’t.  Try to tell me that when I’m in it.  From abuse issues from childhood,  to my own bad choices from addiction,  I decided long ago that I would do everything in my power to be the best that God created me to be.

So I began to look back.  OUCH!!  Many,  many tears and emotions.  Just as I had worked through one set of issues,  up would pop another set of issues!  Will this ever end,  I would think.  It took many years to work through alot of these issues.

But be encouraged because as many tears that were shed,  there was greater laughter and joy that came from the freedom of healing! 

I know how painful recovery can be.  No matter what kind you are going through,  but hang in there.  Let God do the work that you cannot.  He is faithful!

Here are just a few helpful things that I have done along my journey:

• Accept yourself in the journey  (God Does!)  You don’t have to be perfect
• Don’t compare yourself to other women
• If you are in  recovery from an addiction go to a support group
• It’s OK to have pain as long as you are moving forward!
• Join a Womens Bible Study
• Invite someone to be a part of your journey  (someone healthy),  don’t try to do this alone.
• Don’t get stuck.  Look,  Process,  Grieve and move Forward

Joy is waiting for you around the corner if you will only do the hard work.  If I can do it,  so can you!   Use your pain as a motivator to move forward and remember…You can look back BUT don’t stare!