Tim Hansel, in his book You Gotta Keep Dancin’, tells how his faith grew following a hiking accident. He had fallen and broken his back. After years of physical therapy he was still in pain. He recovered and was able to move around, run, and exercise, but the constant ache never left. He prayed for healing but he continued to hurt.
He is a preacher and speaker. Often, after telling his story, people would ask, “Haven’t you prayed for healing?” His obvious answer, “Yes.”
The next question was usually, “Why do you think God hasn’t healed you?”
Tim replied, “God has.” “But I thought you were still in pain?” Tim replied, “I am.”
The questioner would say, “I don’t understand.”
Tim’s response was clear: “I have prayed hundreds, if not thousands of times to be healed and God finally healed me of the need to be healed. I found peace inside the pain.”
When we find the courage to find peace inside the pain we are set free to live our lives again. That is not always easy but doing so allows us to face the reality of other areas of our lives.
I have a good friend who is a marriage and family therapist. He says that many of his clients enjoy the work of therapy until they get too close to their own pain and weakness. They do not mind the conversations about their parents or children or spouse but as soon as they have to face their own failures, they sometimes become angry. According to my friend, many choose to fire the therapist rather then face the healing they need. He understands their fear of the pain. He says, “I am like an orthopedic surgeon who must cut through healthy flesh in order to work on the broken bone.”
Jesus once said, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” That freedom never comes easy. When facing the truth of our lives and our relationships, the pain can be hard to bear but the freedom that comes with it is part of the new life, the dance, that God invites us all to live within.
Grace and peace to you,
