Something I’ve been learning recently is that healing is a long process. I think for so much of life I was waiting for my “I have arrived” moment where I’m fixed and healed and totally put back together in a perfect way. Unrealistic, I know. But I think a lot of us may consciously or subconsciously feel that. There is that fantasy of being the best version of yourself. But what if there is no best but simply better. What if it’s not “I have arrived” but “I have showed up. I have learned. I am growing.” Healing is so continual by nature.
This may be a funny metaphor, but I like to think about 삼계탕. It’s a Korean chicken stew. If you think about it, the process for cooking the most spectacular foods is long and arduous. You have to defrost the meat which can take all day. You may have to pound a slab of meat with a mallet. You also have to gather all the ingredients. Then even after all the cleaning and chopping and mixing, you usually have to marinate it. The longer the marinade, the tastier and richer the food will be. Then there’s the actual cooking process which can take hours of heat, fire, and boiling. Literally, all of the stuff before was only prep work!
But I think healing is a lot like cooking a deep stew. The best foods take the longest to prepare, marinate, and cook. Also, the better the ingredients the better the meal! It takes great time and care to pick the best ingredients or even build an awareness of what is the best. So basically, what I’m trying to say with this long metaphor is that healing is tough. It’s not easy. It’s not overnight. Healing is long. It’s a process that can take weeks, months, but most likely years!
During the process you can feel beaten up, but think about it like tenderizing the meats. At times, you can feel cut into pieces or shaved into shreds. It is painful. But even in a meal, it usually takes the most cuts to create a beautiful garnish. Healing requires much patience. It requires persistence. At times, it will feel like work. But I encourage you to stay the course. Not many people make it to the end – and maybe there really is no end until heaven. But I still believe that healing is worth it.
It will bring you closer to God and others. It will give you a greater capacity and capability to love. So don’t stop! Wherever you are in your healing process – don’t quit. Even if you think you haven’t made much progress. Even when it feels like there’s so much longer to go, I promise you that it will be worth it. And don’t forget, the Lord is on your side as your helper. He will also send you brothers and sisters in arms to fight the good fight with you.
It’s also nice remembering that there are great benefits to healing even during the nitty gritty process. From my own healing experience, I see the world so differently now compared to just a year ago. I feel younger in a way, more optimistic, more limitless. I also feel more whole and made new. I don’t always feel like this – but sometimes, in sweet quiet moments, I do.
So, hold on! Over time, healing will feel easier because you will be made stronger and more refined in the process. Even when it feels like you slipped or took a wrong turn, you can always turn back and stay the course. Nothing is lost. It isn’t over. You can still heal. With God, all things are made possible.
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