Healing = Courage + Action + Grace (PART 1/5)

Healing = Courage + Action + Grace

  

Betrayal, Loss of Loved Ones, Abandonment, Mocking, and Physical Pain are part of this mortal experience, yet there is a way for Healing to occurring in each of our lives.  This information comes from a speech given by Jonathan Sandberg who is a marriage and family counselor.  I wanted to highlight some of his points along with my personal experience because so many people out there are suffering and do not know how to go about healing.  I have practiced the principles that he talks about this last year and I have found immense healing and new understanding and growth in the journey.  I will break this down into several parts. Here is the full speech, which is well worth listening to over and over again.  He shares stories from Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandella, Rosa Parks, Mother Theresa and many others.

Johnathan Sandberg 2014- Healing= Courage+Action +GRACE 

Part 1:

3 PRINCIPLES THAT LEAD TO HEALING:

(Knowing that all healing is a gift from Jesus Christ)

1. Courage

2. Action

3. Grace

“I got to the point that I couldn’t take it any longer.  I sat at the kitchen table with my head in my hands and I prayed. ‘Lord, I’m down here trying to do what is right. I think I’m right, I’m taking a stand for what I believe is right, but Lord, I must confess that I’m weak now. I’m faltering.  I’m loosing my courage.  Now I’m afraid. I have nothing left.  I’ve come to the point where I can’t face it alone.’ I could here the quiet assurance of an inner voice saying, ‘Martin Luther, Stand up for righteousness. Stand up for justice.  Stand up for truth, and Lo, I will be with you even unto the end of the world.’  I tell you I heard the voice of Jesus saying, ‘Still fight on.’  He promised never to leave me alone, and at that moment I experienced the presence of the Divine as I have never experienced Him before.  Almost at once my fears began to go and uncertainty disappeared.  I was ready to face anything.” – Martin Luther King

SEE THE PRINCIPLES IN ACTION:

Courage- to face a difficult situation and stand for truth

Action- in faith by turning to God in prayer

Grace- peace and strength from the Lord through his grace

On Healing:

“’On that first day as a nurse, I assumed cure, care, and healing to be synonymous. I have learned they are not the same. Healing is not cure. Cure is clean, quick, and done—often under anesthesia… Healing, however, is often a lifelong process of recovery and growth in spite of, maybe because of, enduring physical, emotional, or spiritual assault. It requires time... Healing is active. It requires all the energy of your entire being. You have to be there, fully awake, aware, and participating when it happens.’

Healing is much more than getting better or having your problems go away.  Healing is growth, development, maturing.  In a word, Healing is CHANGE.  It takes times and energy and struggle, but healing teaches us.

 As Marshal said, ‘ Healing can help us to become more sensitive and more awake to life. Healing inspires repentance and obedience. Healing invites gifts of humility and faith. It opens our hearts to truth, beauty, divinity, and grace.’”

- Elaine Marshall 2002 Learning the Healers Art

The past 15 months as our family has undergone the healing process, I have often wanted a cure.  I have called out, “Certainly there is an accellerated or AP version of healing! Can’t this go a little faster.”  God fortunately knows that growth and understanding happen overtime.  Often a place has to be carved in our hearts to accept His truth, His answers and His love.  Even so, in this process of heart carving, He never leaves us alone.  We may not know he is there because we are too busy looking down at our feet or simply sitting in the mud, but I know from experience that He is there patiently waiting for us to just look up and reach out to Him.  As you read this blog over the next couple of days, spend some time pondering how you can better heal and how you can better aid others in healing, because the big secret that I have learned is that by focusing on helping to heal others, the Grace of the Lord heals you.

To be continued...

Part 2: Healing = Courage + Action + Grace (2/5)