Grow Through It: 7 Healing Practices That Cultivate Resilience a 7-Day Reading Plan by Essie Fayeಮಾದರಿ

Connect With Yourself and With God—Practice Reflection

1 Corinthians‬ 13‬:11‬ ‬‬‬‬NKJV

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”

Not so long ago, I wrote an apology letter to myself because I had not prioritized myself for years, and I was sorry. I had neglected my desires, my dreams, my voice, and my wisdom. I realized that trauma held me in a place of low self-esteem and low self-value. I treated myself as such and as a result, others treated me that way as well. The seed teaches a useful lesson. Each seed holds the genetic makeup of the plant, and everything the plant needs is within that seed. It’s the same with us.

Apologizing to myself and practicing self-reflection helped me to identify wrong thinking and self-maltreatment. As a result, I was able to look within, discover my worth, self-correct, and move forward. This practice helped me to grow from the pain of self-neglect to the beauty of self-love.

In his teachings about our thought life, the Apostle Paul cautions against delusional thinking. He warns that if our perspective is skewed, we are deceived. Practicing reflection allows one to think about prior feelings, actions, practices, habits, and experiences. Using the healing practice of journaling encourages self-awareness, self-consciousness, and self-examination. It also allows us to self-correct when we make an error and course-correct when necessary. Processing trauma requires time, patience, and adequate resources. We all have trauma, and it can be very painful to experience and unpack. However, in order to grow, we must each face our past trauma. Although this can be difficult and uncomfortable, it can cause us to grow in ways we’d never imagined.

In 1 Corinthians 13:11, Paul reflects on his growth journey. Maturing from childhood to adulthood encompasses many experiences and milestones. Doing the inner work facilitates growth and maturity and cultivates resilience in the face of adversity.

Lord, help me to understand the power of my thoughts. Grant me grace to process my pain in Your presence and heal.

Grow Through It: What can we learn from our painful experiences? What would it look like for us to live the lessons we've gained from our struggles?

Thoughts are powerful enough to change worlds, cultures, people, and circumstances. Be intentional about wielding this power.