I am learning that healthy healing is holistic; and it can be both frightening and liberating at the same time.
What do I mean.
When I walked into my very first post-abortion healing environment, I came expecting to complete intellectual exercises that would heal me. It made sense at the time given I started the process without a clue as to how it might end. I didn't want to risk too much emotionally because I wasn't sure about what God had in store for me. I based my opinion upon not only ignorance but also a fear of being completely broken during the healing process.
In short, although I was eager to get started, I was afraid to trust the process.
Tweet this: We fear what we don't know.
If we are honest, many of us would much rather think our way out of our pain. Dwelling in our thoughts is familiar territory; why can't we just stay there to get the healing we need?
Here's why: our emotional selves want healing that can't be accomplished intellectually. As it turns out, our God given creativity can help heal parts of us that the intellect simply has little access to. This study on the beneficial effects of Art Therapy on anxiety in the middle aged female brain is a good read for a deeper understanding. Click here
Holistic healing is healing that addresses every aspect of who God made us to be. It is a process and it takes time. But it is sooooo worth it! I began to receive bits and pieces of poetry. My love for writing was renewed. I began to draw, crochet, paint and simply color using adult coloring books. I picked up my photography again.
I blossomed in so many ways and I am SO grateful for the journey that my bible study started.
Tweet this: God has MORE for you!
If you are willing to bring all of you to the healing environments you enter, it means God has more to work with; more that He can gracefully break, bless and beautify like this Kintsugi bowl.
In short, we need to allow God to use our creative side if we are going to be holistically healed. God has more to work with when we bring our whole selves to the healing environment. And I am finding that the healing is deeper, more complete and more enduring the more I yield to His workmanship.
Tweet this: When God gracefully breaks you, He will beautifully rebuild you.
We invite you into our Healing Art spaces in the coming months to join us for deeper healing. Arise Artists gather to appreciate and celebrate our creativity and how God speaks to us and heals us through the creative process. All creatives are welcome! (yes, that means you! Each of us possesses that spark). Some of us write, paint, crochet, craft, sew etc. We find that the medium matters less than our surrender to the process.
You will find a safe and welcoming environment to explore art as another powerful tool to heal.
Check out the schedule and RSVP at AriseArtists.com. Look for the "Events" tab at the top and follow the prompts. Much love and many blessings, Sylvia
