I Believe In Recovery

Because today is the 3rd anniversary of the tragic earthquake in Haiti, the January Blog A Day topic 12 is “Recovery”.

If there’s one thing I can say definitively about recovery it’s that I do not see how true recovery is even possible without the healing hand of Jesus Christ. At least that’s the one thing that’s been proven true time and time again in my own life as well as in the lives of those around me.

I’ve had my share of hard times (we all have) and walked through some really dark places with people I dearly love. Times where I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Times when I really wasn’t sure if things were going to get any better. Times where I truly believed some things were permanently broken. There have been times when the idea of recovery seemed nearly impossible. But God always has a different plan.

I believe in recovery. I believe in healing. I believe, like the organization To Write Love On Her Arms often says, hope is real, help is real, and rescue is possible.

I believe in recovery of the mind, body, soul, and spirit. I believe that with God we can recover and heal from anything. He uses all kinds of things to help us get to a place of healing; people – a loving community, timely words of encouragement, doctors, medicine, music, books, movies, creativity, creation… this is just the short list. Anything really to get you to that place.

I’ve had the amazing privilege to see first hand people I love recover and heal from some of the darkest places. And while the roads were long and hard, I wouldn’t trade getting to see it for anything in this whole world. Watching God healing someone’s heart and restoring their life is one of the most beautiful things on earth.

Recovery is actually a really interesting word for me as well because, honestly, life has put me through the ringer real good these past couple of years. And I feel like I’ve spent the better part of the past 5 or 6 months in a state of recovering. No, I’m not there yet but I’m getting there. It’s a work in progress as most issues of the heart are.

Recovery and healing are beautiful realities but only possible, I believe, through the grace and love of God.