Hands down, the one thing that people love about grief coaching is the idea of “Healing Forward.” It’s simple: We heal as we walk, build, and create the life God is calling us into.
Don’t get me wrong, there is a time and space for deep healing of the past, especially for those with depression, relentless anxiety, PTSD, etc.
Healing can look different for someone who is experiencing a time of loss, grief, or transition, compared to those who have had some time to come to terms with their new situation.
My dad just completed a 15-year writing project that he has loved deeply! What a time of joy, gratification, and pride. Is there a reason for him to see a counselor during this transition? Probably not. But is there healing he wants to see in his life as he walks forward? Absolutely.
The characters in his novel and this project have become a part of him. His life is patterned around this book. Moving away from this and creating a new life takes intentionality—it takes healing. His body is used to sitting at a computer first thing in the morning, receiving edits from his reader, and then spending hours on research and wordsmithing. This is the life his body has known for a decade and a half. Something new will take awareness and healing.
Another example would be someone who is experiencing job loss. As they languish in the grueling process of looking for work, it becomes apparent that they are missing essential confidence in their abilities. This “imposter syndrome” is keeping them from going after positions they may be well-suited for.
What does it take to begin to heal forward?
- Be present to your life.
- Be prayerful about what God desires for you.
- Be diligent with intentionality.
We spend far too much time in the “woulda, coulda, shoulda’s” when we could be quiet and prayerful about what we are being called into. A loss or transition means we have the opportunity to look at our life from a different perspective.
It’s sometimes the most difficult question I have to ask someone going through a major transition:
What does this loss make available to you?
This is not an easy question because our response is, “How could this be true? Surely my loss and being in a place of sadness is the only thing available to me!” But what if there’s more?
What if we had God’s perspective?
A few questions for you today:
- What are you experiencing that gives you the opportunity to heal forward?
- What healing is God calling you into?
- What does He want for your life right now?