Does Time Really Heal All Wounds?
It's been several months or perhaps several years since you left the abusive marriage. You've slowly moved on with your life and have been thinking about the abuse less and less. But then something happens that triggers a memory of the abuse you experienced. All of a sudden, the flashbacks of pain has sucker-punched your heart. So did time really heal your pain or did time just suppress it? Does time really heal all wounds?
Time has a way of removing certain thoughts from the forefront of our minds. Time has a way of busying our minds with other things, which may create the illusion of healing from past wounds. Let's say it's been three years since you left an abusive relationship. You moved to a new city, started a new job, married a better man, and had more children.
Now your days are spent rushing to and from work, thinking of what you're going to make for dinner, making dentist appointments for the kids, and planning your annual family vacation. On the surface, your life is now filled with sometimes stressful, yet wonderful activities. You can't even remember the last time you thought about that horrible, toxic relationship you were in.
But one day, you come across an old photo of yourself at a location you and your ex-abuser visited. In the picture, you were smiling and looked happy. Do you say to yourself, "That's a beautiful picture of me," and go on with your now better life. Or does the picture trigger painful feelings, making your heart feel heavy. If the latter occurs, then the passing of time really didn't heal you, at least not completely. The passing of time simply brought other activities into your life, which gave you other things to think about. So if it's possible that time alone is not the "be all and end all" to healing from past wounds, then what is?
Fasting and the Power of the Holy Spirit Can Heal All Wounds
In my experience of healing from abuse, what has been the absolute cure was 1)going on a fast, and 2)allowing the Holy Spirit to remove the toxic baggage from my mind, soul, and spirit.
A fast is much more than a natural thing you do to deprive yourself of certain foods, things, or activities you're using to cope. Going on a fast has a much deeper spiritual significance. A fast should have a two-fold purpose: 1)to cleanse your "inner man" from the buildup of toxic waste, and 2)to draw your "inner man" closer to your Heavenly Father.
This Heavenly Father I'm referring to is the Most High Yah, the Elohim of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. This Heavenly Father, who has filled me with his Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) through faith in Yahshua (Jesus) the Messiah, has healed me so completely and in such a short time, it's astonishing.
I want to point out that although my healing from the emotional, mental, verbal, spiritual, and indirect physical trauma I experienced only took a few short months, there was still a period of getting to know myself all over again. And also getting to know my Heavenly Father again. Knowing more about who I am in the eyesight of God (Yah) is something I strive toward on a daily basis.
Today, I can honestly say that there is no attachment of pain and sorrow when I think back on my past marriage to an abusive, narcissistic pastor. Writing about my experience to help others is a joy because it's not coming from a place of brokenness. Sharing my testimony is coming from a place of wholeness because the Holy Spirit has completely healed and restored my soul from the trauma of abuse.
Time does have a place in the healing process, but time alone doesn't completely heal all wounds. I believe time allows us to get back to the person we were before the abuse — or better yet — become a better version of ourselves. For me, the passing of time has allowed me to regain a oneness with my Creator; to strive toward functioning at my highest potential. But as far as healing from past wounds is concerned, I can testify that fasting and praying with the assistance of the Holy Spirit through the power of Yahshua the Messiah is what gave me complete healing.
