A Perspective of Hope and Healing

Throughout this month, especially as I’ve recovered from an injury, I’ve been thinking often about perspectives. My perspective has changed a lot over the course of the past year, and I wanted to consider something:

What if instead of seeing ourselves as broken, we viewed ourselves as works in progress, becoming more and more like Christ each day…

Instead of seeing all the hurt and the pain, we saw the promise of healing…

And instead of seeing the world as a dark place we looked to the Light that can outshine it all…

How would that perspective change the way we view ourselves, our circumstances, and our world?

Changing your perspective means looking away from that shattered reflection in the water and instead looking up at the beautiful scenery before you.

Having a growth mindset means looking at the bare soil and seeing the potential for blossoms. It means looking at the hills and believing that you will reach the top a stronger person.

And it means looking away from that shattered reflection in the water and instead looking up at the beautiful scenery before you.

Most of all, it’s about remembering that the One Who set that scene before you, and set your life’s entire course before you, will carry you through.

Hope for a tree

The pain can be a reminder of how much you need a Savior Who can heal. Maybe He won’t heal all your wounds here in this life, but you can place your hope in the promise of the next.

“For there is hope for a tree,
    if it be cut down, that it will sprout again,
    and that its shoots will not cease.”

~Job 14:7, ESV

My six-year-old sister found this verse the other day and I thought about its meaning. There is hope for a tree. It will sprout again. Its shoots will not cease.

And there is hope for us, too. With our seeds of faith, we have the promise of sprouting again. We have the hope of healing and the assurance of eternal life.

It all depends on how you look at it. Has the tree been cut down, or is it in a season of waiting—a season of waiting to bloom again?

If you’re in that season of waiting, I want you to look away from that shattered reflection that lies in the water. Look up at the stars, reader. There’s more than what’s under the sun.

There is hope for the tree, and there’s hope for you. There’s always the hope of blooming again.

My seasons of waiting

When it comes to my running journey, I’ve had many seasons of waiting—injuries and sicknesses and other health problems. If you’re an athlete, you can probably relate.

I used to look at those setbacks with only frustration. And sometimes, they still frustrate me.

But I can see them with a different perspective now. My seasons of waiting have helped shape me into who I am in today. They’ve reminded of the importance of rest, of taking care of myself, and (most importantly) of placing my identity in Christ.

I’ll go as far as to say that, if I hadn’t found myself with an iron-deficiency and a weary spirit last year, I don’t think I would be writing this right now.

Because then I wouldn’t have discovered the beauty in seeing the blossoms sprout up after a harsh winter.

I don’t think I would have found that perspective any other way. Not without my own season of waiting.

And there’s something so inspiring about seeing someone rise again after one of those hard moments. I like to say that, when you come out of your season of waiting, you’re going to have an awesome comeback story to tell.

It’s like that saying, “Life is tough, but so are you!”

And you don’t have to depend on your own strength—You have Christ to carry you through. Your identity lies in Him alone.

Which brings me to this next part. About a week ago, I wrote this poem to illustrate how my perspective—on my injuries and my imperfections, and especially on my identity—has changed since a year ago.

Injured: A Poem

I’m nothing more than injured
I don’t know why I had ever believed that
I’m healed by His grace
Set free
Beautiful
Chosen
I realize that I have a different identity
Every step is pain
Because I’m broken and
I can’t live up to any standard
My pounding heart now knows that
This shattered reflection of myself
Is who I really am

Now read the lines from the bottom up ^

Thank you so much for reading this, and, as always, I hope you were left feeling encouraged! I don’t share my poetry often, so let me know in the comments what you thought about being able to read the poem both ways and see a completely different perspective. Also, if you feel comfortable, share about a perspective change that you’ve experienced in your own life—I’d love to hear from you!