When someone close to you passes away, the thought of being without them can be tough to process and make sense of, especially when the person dies young. As you grow older, you spend a lot of time reflecting on your evolution from childhood years to the present time. You began to think about how experiences have shaped you and how your perspective has changed for the better.
When I experienced the death of my younger sister, I began an unwanted journey with grief. I quickly realized I was still mourning the loss of my father, who I was not speaking to at the time of his death, and my younger brother who was so near and dear to my heart. In my grief, I started to reflect on life and what living and loving truly means. In my reflection, I began to discover things about myself I had not realized. I learned that my experiences throughout life molded my thinking and had a huge impact on the way I live my life.
In the moments of self-reflection, I started writing my memories from childhood, both good and bad. Because of this, the idea of writing a book was born. Writing this book put me on a path of healing about things I wasn’t aware that needed to be healed. I learned grieving is a journey with many phases, and I must allow myself the time and space to go through each phase without any regard to a time limit. I must allow myself the personal space to express every emotion that’s inside of me. I can no longer compartmentalize my feelings and bottle them up.
Honest reflections of myself, my family, and past relationships permitted me to give grace and understanding to myself and others. Writing helped me understand that we all have painful experiences from our past that account for who we are and how we engage with others. Most importantly, writing this book gave me the gift of understanding and forgiveness from God's perspective.
My first book, Healing from the Root: Reflections & Growth, is a window into my journey and my truth. I have made peace with my younger self and learned to embrace the mature woman that God has so graciously allowed me to become. I gained a profound sense of gratitude for all the blessings God has allowed in my life. I realized just how much I love the people who are in my life currently and those who have passed away. I painfully realized everything that has happened was a journey of growth, and I embrace the future without fear because God is in control.
I challenge you to go to God in prayer and ask him to heal you from things that are affecting you today, things known to you and unknown. God will reveal if you have experiences from which you are not healed and need to confront. Day by day ask for your daily bread to walk in God's favor and a spiritual lens from which to analyze your experiences and reflect. Ask yourself this: "Are you truly healed from the root?" If not, how can you make faith steps to trust God with this task?
Next, I challenge you to remove everything your wisdom has taught you and seek the Lord's wisdom. He will help you make sense of all things. Whether you are grieving the loss of a loved one, a divorce, or the grief of being wronged, God can heal you no matter the cause of your grief. There is no place too far from God that he cannot reach and make things right. For the Bible says in Psalm 147:3 that "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (NIV)." God's word is true, and he will heal you if you seek him.
Finally, I leave you with this quote:
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – Maya Angelou
If you would like to learn more about my journey of healing from the root, you can purchase my book Healing From the Root: Reflections & Growth from Amazon. You can read a sample and purchase it as a gift for yourself or someone you love. In the meantime, enjoy your journey to healing, friend.
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