Many things in life take time and cannot be rushed. But it’s a mistake to assume that time alone moves us closer to the growth and healing we desire. We must also do the work even as we wait patiently.
To be sure, time is needed to grow and mature, to heal and to mend past wounds. There are no magic buttons or shortcuts for us to instantly arrive at our desired outcomes.
All the same, we don’t arrive with the mere passing of time either. Time must include some meaningful effort to be fruitful.
For instance, generally speaking, wisdom and age go hand in hand.
But it’s also clear we don’t gain wisdom simply by growing older. We don’t have to look far to find many old fools. While they’ve aged chronologically, they’ve grown none the wiser.
Wisdom is gained by engaging the work of maturing over time, not by time itself.
And the same is true when it comes to healing past wounds.
Wounds will heal in time, but this is not merely the passive passing of time. The work of repairing and rebuilding what has been damaged is still needed.
Even physically, our intentional rest is so that our bodies can continue its work of recovery. Rest on one level allows work to continue on another.
And this might play out personally and relationally as well.
A season of rest is still creating the space for healing to take place.
While aggressively trying to “fix” things is not always helpful, some level of intentionality is still needed, however indirect, behind the scenes, or restful it might appear on the surface.
In the end, take the time needed to grow and heal. And remember time by itself is not enough. You must still do the work over time to reach your heart’s desires.
Photo by Gilles De Muynck on Unsplash
