Rehab.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy….~ ascribed to St. Francis of Assisi
stages of healing, 4.
Several months ago, my father-in-law fell and broke two vertebrae. He went through triage in the ER, treatment for a week in the IC, and then several weeks of care at a residential rehab facility before returning home to continue his healing. Thankfully, he recovered thoroughly from that trauma… but he had to work the entire process. And so do we.
In the rehab stage, there is often a continuation of treatment. For wounded souls, the work of re-educating and reorienting our inner world doesn’t stop—but at some point, the focal point shifts toward restoring our capacity to function fully with those around us. Even, often, in relationship with the perpetrators of our injury. At some point, our healing progresses to where we are strong enough and healthy enough to forgive.
As we have discovered, forgiveness can’t be rushed… but it can be delayed. Forgiveness often involves many layers and many decisions, not just one. Yet when we come to this point in the healing journey, the inability or unwillingness to forgive keeps us (and others) stuck in perpetual recovery, not quite healed. Forgiveness—that supernatural process of releasing someone from a just indictment and conviction and then replacing that censure with love—this is the point at which the wound is finally healed. A scar will likely remain, but the pain and the crippling disability are gone forever.
It’s important to understand that forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation. Some injuries preclude the possibility of restoring the relationship itself on this side of heaven, but soul healing always moves us eventually to the release of the sentence of judgment. The restoration of our hearts brings with it the capacity, even the necessity, for compassion and, when possible, some active expression of love toward the offender that transcends the brokenness of the transgression itself.
In traditional language, this is the “gospel.” This is how God enters our human tragedy and writes a redemption story. We are all recipients of such Grace; now we become divine partners to perpetuate such Grace. This is the Blessed Hope for ourselves and the world. Nothing else can save us.
I am still working through some of my own “rehab” in relation to the evangelical church and those who represent it. I’m still learning how to hold the reality of what’s wrong-headed and wrong-hearted in that belief system while simultaneously moving with compassion instead of judgment. Our healing will be complete when the pain recedes and we’re left with joyful freedom, “full of grace and truth” ourselves, Word become flesh ourselves, following the example of Christ to make our redemptive dwelling within the human family (Jn 1:14).
growing your soul
Physical rehab involves physical therapy. What are you doing emotionally and spiritually to restore your heart to its fully capacity?
serving our world
Even if your healing isn’t quite yet complete, take a little time now to imagine the redemptive impact on our world as you take each courageous step toward redemption.
takeaway
Rehab isn’t fun, but it’s essential.
*I am neither a medical doctor nor a psychotherapist. Instead, I write and minister as a pastor, a spiritual director, a professional coach, and a theologian. Nothing in this blog series should be construed as psychiatric advice nor substitute for professional medical care around the experience of trauma.