The Healing Path

I believe that chronic illness offers us the quiet invitation to step onto a profound healing path for our lives. This healing path may include physical healing, but also includes emotional and spiritual healing as well. When faced with the challenges that illness brings, we are left to either descend into a dark abyss or to choose to see, to learn, to grow, and to heal our lives where needed. This is often easier said than done. Sometimes the pain, discomfort, and fear are just so great that it's almost unbearable. Sometimes I just have to take a rest, have a good cry and allow myself to feel the frustration, pain, discouragement and disappointment. But when I am willing and ready, the time comes for me to recognize and accept the "learning moments" that are softly waiting for me along the path.

 Naturally, we as humans do not like to feel uncomfortable. When we experience pain or hardship, we strive to do all that we can to simply get rid of the discomfort so that we can move on to all the wonderful plans we have for our lives. I don't think that's inherently bad. In fact I think it's good to work toward feeling better physically. But I also think it needs to be kept in balance. In order to find that balance, we need to stop expecting our healing path to be one that is short, simple, and effortless. We need to accept that sometimes this path takes us to places we would rather not go. Places such as, learning to let go of control, accepting our limitations at certain points along the journey, letting go of anger or fear, learning to simplify, or learning to tune out all the unnecessary voices and discern what is best for our lives personally. These are the hard lessons to learn, but the lessons that are often the most important along the way.

 So as we think of the word "healing", let us not automatically think of a body that is free of suffering and pain. Let us remember that the healing journey is much more than that. Let us remember that this path includes the healing of our hearts, our minds, our relationships, and our souls.