"Healing is a road that is lined with endless grace."

I came across this quote last week, and its simple brilliance is one of those things that lodges in your heart and makes it a little easier to breathe. 

"Maybe it's okay if it takes time to be okay. Maybe healing is a road that is lined with endless grace." - Morgan Harper Nichols

Too often, we tend to place unrealistic expectations on ourselves on how long it should take for us to heal. We think healing should fit on a timeline; we feel like there's an acceptable time to struggle with what has hurt us and then that's it, time's up, get over it and get better, or something's seriously wrong with us. 

Maybe you had a friend who fought depression, and three months later she's fine and back to normal. But it's been longer for you and you're not fine and not back to normal. Maybe you read a post on social media about someone who came out of the darkness of grief and now she has a 5-step plan for you to follow. But that plan doesn't seem to work quite like it did for them, so you're convinced the problem is obviously with you. Maybe a well-meaning person told you that if you prayed a little harder, had a little more faith, fought a little braver...then of course you'd quickly be as happy and healthy as they are. But you gave it all you had and you're not even close to being happy or healthy yet. 

The journey to a healed heart looks different for everyone. Don't judge your journey by the guide of what someone else has been through. Give yourself time to heal in the way your heart needs to, regardless of how long it takes. Own your journey, walk it with your head held high, knowing that God's grace is carrying you. He's not standing aside, waiting for you to finally get it together so you can reach the end of your journey to healing; He's with you IN the journey, walking every step with you.  

Your life is not a race, and neither is stepping into wholeness. Healing is not something that can be rushed. Slow down, take the pressure off of yourself, allow God to do His work in His time. He's far better at healing a wounded heart than we are. 

Breathe. There's enough grace for every single step ahead of you. 


(for more by Morgan Harper Nichols, follow her on Instagram and Facebook)

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