My dear mom fell down the stairs recently and landed on a hard basement floor. She was in pain, but who wouldn’t be after falling down the stairs? Nothing was bleeding and she could move everything, so she thought she was okay. But when she went to use the door handle, she knew something was wrong. A trip to the urgent care showed that she had broken her arm.
My siblings and I grew up on a farm, back before electronics would have fought for our attention, so we spent a lot of time outside. Even though broken bones might be somewhat common in childhood, there was not one broken bone among us ever. So having our mom have the first broken bone in our family was shocking.
Since I knew nothing about broken bones, I did a little research, and I have to say, “Wow!” I came away amazed. God made us in such an awesome, intricate way. There was a lot of terms and explanations that went well over my head, but my takeaway was that our bodies have been made extraordinarily.
When we break a bone, our body has an immediate reaction and goes right into working to heal the fracture. Our body goes through a series of steps as the bones work to renew themselves. It is a finely tuned sequence of events, but it takes time.
Mind, body, or soul, we all are a little broken. We have pain and disappointment. We have rejection, anger, and hurt in our lives. Some more than others, some more often than others. Just like bones need to heal through a process, so do we. No matter how nice it would be, it is not going to happen overnight. God works on us and heals us layer by layer. In that hard and slow place, turn to Him, invite Him in, and pray.
Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.
Isaiah 33:2 (NIV)
Healing is a process we don’t have to go through alone. We sometimes think God isn’t working in our lives, but He is, right where we are. God has a process, and though progress might seem slow, that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. Healing takes time, and it isn’t easy.
There are steps we can’t skip just so we can get to the end. Each step has a purpose. Believe me, I know it can be frustrating when we are broken and aren’t seeing results or healing fast enough. We try to deal with it by ourselves because we don’t want to wait. We may even want to turn to things for quick relief or distraction from our brokenness, but those things will always be temporary. Only God’s healing is not temporary.
We have the promise that God makes all things new. All things means each of us and all our brokenness — one layer at a time, one tedious step at a time. And when the time comes and healing happens, we will be able to share our story of how God saw us through. One way or another, He will. He always does.
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Psalm 147:3 (NIV)
Trust the One who created you. Just like a broken bone, bit by bit, layer by layer, God heals.
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Jennifer,
Having gone through some really long healing seasons after six major surgeries, I wonder if I needed the advanced course on learning to be patient through the process? I admittedly squirm…a lot…when I have to wait. And, if I don’t see marked progress, I squirm even more. Maybe I’ve had to go through long seasons in order to learn to be still. Even as a child, “sit still” was a hard order to follow. God does work miraculously in physical healing as well as spiritual and emotional healing, but it does take time. We can’t hurry time. Just like with this virus, we can’t hurry to the end point, so what can we learn in the meantime? For me to sit still, I have to be in His word. I have to be talking through my worries and wondering with Him. I need to praise Him, in advance, for what He is going to do. I have to make the waiting time all about Him, not all about me. Tough stuff! Layer by layer, He heals. How are we going to go through the process? Great post, Jennifer!
Blessings,
Bev xx
Thank you, friend! I hear you, I seem to squirm a lot too. Learning though, I am learning! xo
I’m not a process person, so I often struggle when wholeness comes in slow motion. It’s easy to imagine we’re “stuck” when things take longer than we think they should, and yet the truth is that we learn so much in the waiting–more, I think, than a quick deliverance would yield.
So true, Michele. There is always so much to learn in the waiting, even when it seems so, so hard!
Thank you a Jennifer.
You are so very welcome, Charlene. Thank you for taking the time to leave a note!
It not nice when your Mum fell. I years ago when suffered seizures years ago. Because my health years ago. My husband found me in a seizure not once but twice at the bottom of the stairs out cold where I fell down the stairs because of seizures I taken them. When he was away walking the dog we had then. I remember nothing about it at all. Only then by the grace of God each and every time. I didn’t brake any bones. Gods projecting arms were around me. Yes I did come of with badly bruised face. But that healed. God was so good. Healing through thoes years did take time like you said. You didn’t know about broken bone in your Mum. My Husband did know much about different types of seizures. You get a shock. You like your Mum when she fell down the stairs. Me all those years ago because of seizures. To do with a womens problem that caused my seizures. It was sock for my Husband to see me each time at the bottom of the stairs because of a seizure. We both were so thank full to God everytime I never broke a bone. But it was shock. Layer by Layer God took us through it. Help my Husband cope with my health problem. God Layer by Layer took you though it with your your Mum and her broken arm. It not nice at the time. You don’t like to see your lovely Mum in pain. Just like my Husband didn’t like to see me suffering seizures all thoes years ago because of women problem to do with my periods. Which lead to me having to have a hystermoney excuse my bed spelling. As my hormones every month would with my periods cause me have very heavy periods then go up the left and then I have seizures. So now I doing great. Since my operation. No seizures. That 3 years this October. God took me through it all. God was with you Jennifer with your Mum also. The operation to me was nothing. I had that many people praying for me. Also I went with this saying I don’t know where I got it from. But it very true. I AM NOT AFRAID OF TOMORROW BECAUSE GOD IS ALL READY THERE. So God is. Before my operation on the waiting list God taught me and my Husband through those day I was still taking seizures. Layer by Layer God heals but sometimes not right away. If not not right away how to cope when we have to wait. Like you had to Jennifer wait to get your Mum to Hospital to get her seen to and get her arm seen too. The waiting not nice. But God gives you strength to do it be there for your Mum. Like in those days my Husband was there for me. Until I got my operation. Said a pray for your Mum and you. Love today’s reading. Love Dawn Ferguson-Little xxx
After all of that, I am so happy to hear He has brought you through it all, Dawn! Thank you for share such encouragement with us, reminding us He is already there. And thank you so much for your prayers! xo
Hi Jennifer, thank you for the reminder. My adoptive daughter had severe trauma in her early life which is manifesting itself in very ugly ways, including a psychotic episode that has left me rattled. I know the healing will be slow and I need God’s grace, hope, and lots of love to get us through. Blessings to you
Praying for you and your daughter through this difficult process, Maggie! Praying you feel His love and grace through it all!
Thank you, Jennifer, for your words this morning. It amazes me that God has thought through every detail long before we come to our own understanding. Just as you described the intricate process for a bone to heal you shared how God does the same for us in our brokenness. I will never fully understand but I can trust God who already has it all figured out.
Thank you, Mary. I always have to keep telling myself, I don’t need to understand! So grateful we can trust He already knows.
The healing process is never easy. It’s even harder when you feel as though you’re not seeing any growth, but however, we must remember GOD is working all the time on our behalf.
It can be so hard, Taylor! We as humans all understand how hard it is. So grateful He is always working!
I loved this! Thank you!
Thank you so very much, Courtney!
My my. Thank you so much for this most amazing message if both healingband patience. Gods blessings and His triumph abound. Thank you ahead of time for your prayers for my marriage that is challenging and my compassion in the eye of the storm
Diane
Praying for you and your marriage, Diane. He is with you through it, each step of the way!
jennifer.. thank you for listening to what God wanted you to share with us. thanking God that He is healing her and we who need it in our own way. stay safe my friend.
Thank you, Sarita! You stay safe as well!
Jennifer,
So sorry about mom’s broken arm. Healing always takes time. I’m not a patient person. Always want healing now. God is patient with us. He knows there is much to learn from healing & waiting. When dad was is geriatric psych hospital the waiting drove me nuts. Never knowing if he would be healed this side of heaven or not. I cried & yelled at God a lot. Squirming was my normal. Wanting answers sooner than later. Finally came to end of myself & asked God what I was to learn from all this. He taught me to trust in Him more readily. Through all that my faith was strengthened. At least back then I could go visit him & eyeball how he was doing. It took a month but I wouldn’t trade that time for e=anything. I gained so much from that experience. Now everyone has to call RNs & get an update. It is so much harder on the family. People are scared right now. This virus has many people in a panic. It was no surprise to God. Take the time now to get into the word & pray. Lean hard into Jesus trusting that He will keep you safe. Layer by layer He will take away the anxiety, stress, & depression. Trust in the healer!
Blessings 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your experience so we can learn and be encouraged by it, Beth! I am so grateful to know that you were able to spend that time with him, face to face. “Trust the healer!” Yes and amen to that!