Navigating Negative EmotionsSample

The Only Way to Heal Faster

Pain is unpleasant. It can be a kind of sadness that digs deep. A sort of persistent torment. An anger that never ends.

We avoid pain at all costs. It is a natural human instinct. We see pain coming and we fight or flee. We hide from pain.

When pain inevitably catches up to us and finds its way into our story, we do everything we can to silence it. We dirty it up, sweep it under the rug, and act as if it doesn’t exist. We lie to our friends, to our spouses, and even to ourselves.

Our instinct tells us to ignore the pain until it disappears; it is a defense mechanism triggered by our brain to cope with its impact, seeking not to be destroyed.

Our society tells us to quickly get over it, that we are not okay if we don’t feel okay (or pretend to).

But it doesn’t work, does it? Pain is like an alarm clock: it doesn’t stop ringing until we acknowledge it. We can’t explain our pain. We can’t avoid it either. Many of us engage in unhealthy behaviors due to years and years, layer upon layer, of unaddressed pain.

Paradoxically, the quickest way to heal is to confront the pain. Not to turn it into an idol or to plunge into the abyss, but to name it and address it. An infected wound becomes an infection that harms the entire body if left untreated. That is how pain is in our soul; we need to open it, clean it, and disinfect it so it can heal completely.

Sharing the truth of your pain with those who love you the most, as well as forgiving the people and situations that hurt you, will hurt you more at the beginning, but it will lead you on the path to faster healing.

Although pain hurts, it offers you an opportunity for growth, intimacy, and perseverance. That is why the best way to overcome pain is to genuinely feel it. We can’t ease our pain by ignoring it. The only way to avoid it is going through it. In the end, acknowledgment and forgiveness are the fastest path to healing your soul.

Lord, I choose to forgive the people who hurt me. I acknowledge that the things I went through hurt me. I ask you to heal my soul and help me see these situations as opportunities for change and growth in my life.