Cross-Over From Pain To Healing - Lisa U Maki
Some people know they need to change but have not reached a point of really wanting to change. Others begin the journey but stop in the middle, only because it is easier to go back to old and familiar ways of doing things. Indeed, crossing over from healing to restoration is a challenging process that can make people quit.
What makes the cross-over difficult?
Actually, it is the healing process that is painful. It is in this process when all our dirt are exposed and where all our past issues are dealt with. Most of these issues are painful enough to remember, let alone be exposed into the open. And when we are in pain, we want to run elsewhere... some diversion, or just to numb the pain. It can be alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, relationships, or any other familiar place that we should be staying away from, in the first place.
How many times have you run to someone or something as a means of escape, only to realize that your wounds became more severe? And yet most people find themselves doing this very thing because of the pain that they want to avoid. What they don't understand is that by avoiding the pain, they actually add to it.
It takes sheer seriousness and severe discipline to cross over and experience the fullness of healing and restoration. This kind of attitude comes as a result of (1) really wanting a new life... (2) a determination to get what is rightfully yours... and (3) an understanding of the process that goes with it.
Let's talk about this one by one.
1. Really wanting a new life
A person who is truly sick and tired of her life will not want that kind of life anymore. Those who go back to the life they said they don't want anymore are those who have not really been sick and tired of it. Maybe they just got scared or perhaps they just know that they have to, but I don't think they've reached a point of utter disgust over their past life.
A person who says she is serious about quitting drugs and goes back to it is still being beckoned by that power because there is something in her memory that still reminds her of the good feeling. She has not totally divorced from it. It's like going back to an abusive relationship. There are still unbroken soul ties that the person keeps going back to.
Those who really want a new life, in the real sense of the word, will do whatever it takes to get there, no matter how difficult it may be.
2. Determination to get what is rightfully yours
People who are serious about change are determined to make it happen. They believe that there is a better life out there for them; a life they rightfully deserve. My Dad grew up in poverty but refused to be a prisoner of his environment. He knew there was something better for him out there. He didn't only seek for it but pursued it. He worked hard for it against all odds. He studied like no one else did. He sacrificed not having friends over graduating with honors. He got a scholarship for College and graduated Summa Cum Laude. Had it not been for his determination, I will not be where I am now.
People who understand their worth will not settle for anything less than the best for them. I started understanding how valuable and worthy I was after I got saved. After learning how precious and special I was in God's sight, I told myself that I will never settle for crumbs. I waited for my promised man. It was tough! I had to go through a thorough healing process. I had to wait for years. It was easier going back to my old ways of doing things. But since I knew what I deserved, I persevered. This is why I have the marriage that I have now.
3. An understanding of the process
In this modern day and age, people are so used to everything instant. Most do not understand that in God, things don't happen instantly. God is a God of process because it is in the process that we experience true healing and deliverance. Anything achieved in haste does not last.
It is imperative to know that there is a high price we have to pay for anything good and valuable. You want a good marriage? Then you have to pay the price for it. You have to sacrifice not having any relationship until you meet the person that God has in store for you. You want to have a blessed sex life? Then you have to throw away the garbage that has been plaguing you for years: all the past relationships, lustful thoughts, and images that are stored in your head. You want to have a healthy life? Then you have to sacrifice your favorite junk food, quit smoking, and not even entertain any thought of drugs.
It can be difficult. But then, come to think of it. People smoke, drink, and do drugs only to destroy their bodies. How difficult is it to reverse this, and this time it is for good? This thought has motivated me over the years. Honestly, it is not as hard as others think it is.
I remember talking to a friend who quit smoking. She told me that she applied the same addiction she had in smoking to an addiction to stop smoking. It worked for her.
Looking at the other side of the mountain can be overwhelming. It can be pretty scary if you see how big of a step you are to take to jump from where you are now to where you want to be. However, as you get closer with every little step, you will realize that it is not as far and scary as it seemed. All it takes is for you to take that step and continue moving forward. Don't quit just because it gets difficult. And remember that when it gets quite difficult, Jesus is there to carry you.
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