Before we begin, we must first establish that there are no quick fixes to pain. Many of the quick fixes and advice that you have heard in life, are people or substances that are trying to make a quick dollar off your pain. They have no “empathy or skin” in the game, in regard to the investment of your healing. Your healing depends on you making the choice of committing to, “I want better for myself, I deserve better, and I’m going after better”. When you shift to this type of mindset, you are one step closer to allowing pain to work for you, instead of you, working for pain.  Pain requires that we take the long route, in order to truly learn and heal, in addition to being able to see the beauty, faithfulness, and sovereignty of God. So, if you think you can rush healing, you will only sabotage the process and find yourself back in the same circumstances, sooner than later.

Healing from pain takes time, knowledge, consistency, repentance, and patience. Without going through these components, you can be sure that pain will make nice little cobwebs, in the crevasses of your body and rear its ugly head in your life.

So, let’s break down each of these components, so we can better understand what and why these components are required from us and within us, in order to heal from pain.

#1. Time ~ One of the hardest concepts to understand and accept in life, is God’s timing. God’s timing exists on a different metric system then ours. Oftentimes, we are constantly trying to get God to adjust to our timing, however the longer you live, the more you realize that God doesn’t operate on our time, he only operates on his own divine watch. When we tend to get frustrated, disappointed, angry, or agitated that life is not working out according to our plan. We try to take control, by pressing down on the override button, speeding past the signs that say “stop, wait, no, or not yet,” only to find ourselves in an accident a couple miles down the road. Now we are crying and pleading with God to help us, due to our failure of trusting God’s timing.

Have you ever been there before in life? I will raise both of my hands. I have been there too many times and have way too many stories to tell. However, God has consistently wrapped me in mercy, while holding me, teaching me, correcting me, disciplining me, loving me, and comforting me through my mess. What a loving and patient father he is to his children, and the more we trust God’s timing, the better we will understand God’s heart towards his children.

God’s timing is always perfect, even though we have no idea how God is going to fulfill our needs, his word tells us he will. (Philippians 4:19) ~ And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. When we begin to understand that trust and timing work together, you cannot have one without the other. We position ourselves, to be anchored in a solid and firm foundation, and we then get to experience how God’s timing is divinely tuned to the compass of our journey.

  So, place your hands under your bottom, and let God do what he does best.

#2. Knowledge ~ The only way to heal pain, is to gain knowledge of why pain exist and what it will teach us. In most cases, pain shows up when our life is in error and correction needs to be made for our life to get back in alignment with the will of God. We must be willing to consistently seek the word of God and apply his truth to our life in order to heal the pain that our body is experiencing. We must be seekers of knowledge and self-examine our mind. The purpose of pain is to reveal what is not in alignment with God’s character, will, and his commandments for our life, and the only way we are able to receive answers, is to become a seeker and a student of knowledge.

#3. Consistency~ In order to heal, you MUST have consistent knowledge flooding your ears, mind, and eyes, at all times. These are your souls’ portals that must be nourished daily. Many people think healing is only for a season of life; however, healing is nestled into every season of life and can never be completed on this side of earth. In order to heal what is hurting, you must go to the creator and see what is out of alignment. Often times, so many people have a difficult time healing from pain, simply due to them accepting the false narrative of pain. When we tend to feel a little better or life eases up, our mind tricks us into thinking we are healed and free from the pain of past experiences. However, when we experience another painful incident, we find ourselves in deeper pain than we were in prior. Why? Because healing is lifelong work and if we choose to avoid healing, we will only find that the pain intensifies as we continue to have further experiences with people and ourselves. Healing is a daily process that we must embrace. We are all in need of healing from our childhood and adult traumas. Each of us has work to do, and not one of us can escape this work. In order to sustain and maintain progress, healing requires daily practice, repetition, and consistent effort. There is no way to get around being consistent.

#4. Repentance ~ Now many of you may be thinking, what does repentance have to do with pain. Well, repentance has everything to do with pain, because in order to heal pain, we have to be honest about our steps. We have to be honest about where we were disobedient in hearing God’s voice, not listening or hearing our parents, siblings, and friends say, “don’t go that way, your headed for danger, he/she is going to harm you”. Many of us, have a difficult time with repentance, because we have a difficult time with honesty and accountability. We believe that if we are honest, guilt and shame will swallow us whole; however, the very opposite occurs. When we are honest, guilt and shame lose its power, giving us the ability to see more clearly.

#5. Patience ~ No matter what anyone tries to sell you, there are no quick fix to alleviating pain. Patience and time are required. I have meant so many people who try and rush the process of healing, only to find themselves on the bumper cars of life. Patience is something that many of us have a difficult time embracing, due to the “instant” society we live in, which gives a false message of “results happen quickly”. I would highly encourage you to practice patience throughout your day, whether that’s allowing someone to go in front of you at the checkout counter, playing a game that requires time, or visiting older relatives in your family that require your patience.  If you ever noticed, older people take their time talking to you, they watch you, they listen to you, and they tell stories that are long winded; however, their stories have many powerful meanings. If you pay attention closely, they are analyzing you and checking your temperament. Checking if you have the discipline to learn and the temperament to understand. Are you truly engaging with them or are you just being respectful?  They do not like to be rushed, and they require your patience.

When we embrace patience, we then have the foundational layer, which is required for the development of trust.   

So, until we meet again.

Stay the course, the victory is truly already yours.

~ Joe