For most of my life, I thought healing was something I could arrive at. I believed that if I worked hard enough, prayed long enough, or processed deeply enough, I would finally reach a place where pain was behind me, and I was completely free. I imagined healing as a finish line. Something I could cross and then celebrate. But the truth is, healing is not a destination. It is not a one-time achievement or a final stage of life. Healing is a process. It is a way of being.
Healing is not about conquering. It is about returning. Every day, I return to what I have already learned. I revisit the places God has touched in my heart and notice the ways He is still speaking into them. I return to rhythms of prayer, journaling, movement, and rest. I return to presence.
This realization changed everything for me. Instead of striving to reach a perfect state, I began to see healing as a practice. Something living and breathing, something that grows with me, something that will always unfold one step at a time.
Why the Finish Line Mentality Keeps Us Stuck
One of the biggest traps in the healing journey is the belief that there is an endpoint. When we see healing as a fixed destination, we live with constant pressure. We measure ourselves against an invisible standard. We compare our progress to others. We keep asking, “Am I there yet?”
That finish line mentality breeds frustration. It makes us feel like we are always behind, always lacking, always disqualified. I know this feeling well. I used to say to myself, “By now I should be over this.” Or, “If I was stronger, I would not still feel this way.” That way of thinking made me impatient with myself, and it robbed me of peace.
But God never asked us to “arrive.” He invited us to abide. He asked us to walk with Him, not sprint past Him. The finish line mentality pulls us out of the present moment, and presence is exactly where healing happens.
Healing as a Daily Return
If healing is not a destination, then what is it? It is a daily return. Each day, I come back to my breath. I come back to my body. I come back to the truth that God is with me, even in the mess.
Some days, healing looks like rest. Other days, it looks like courage to speak the truth. Some days, it is choosing forgiveness. Other days, it is allowing myself to feel the grief I want to ignore. Healing shifts and changes, but it is always alive.
Think of it like tending a garden. You cannot water it once and expect it to thrive forever. You return. You water again. You pull the weeds. You watch it grow slowly, sometimes invisibly, but always faithfully.
Healing is holy repetition. It is showing up again and again, knowing that each small choice is forming something beautiful in you.
Presence Over Perfection
I believe one of the most important shifts in healing is trading perfection for presence. Perfection says, “I must do everything right to be worthy of healing.” Presence says, “I am here, as I am, and that is enough for today.”
When I sit with God in presence, I do not have to have the right words. I do not have to force a breakthrough. I do not have to prove anything. Presence gives me permission to be in process.
And the beautiful thing is, presence allows transformation. When you stop performing and start showing up as you are, you make space for God to do what only He can do. You are not asked to be flawless. You are invited to be faithful.
Practices to Stay Present in the Process
If you, like me, have spent years chasing a finish line, you may be wondering how to shift into presence. Here are some simple practices that keep me anchored in the daily process:
- Breath prayer: Inhale a short phrase of Scripture, exhale the response. For example: inhale “Be still,” exhale “and know.”
- Gratitude journal: Write down three small moments of grace you noticed today. Not grand miracles, but simple gifts.
- Body awareness: Take a few minutes to scan your body and notice where you hold tension. Breathe into those places with kindness.
- Scripture reflection: Instead of rushing to study or analyze, sit with one verse and let it sink into you throughout the day.
- Sabbath moments: Even if you cannot take a whole day, take small pauses where you release striving and simply rest in God’s presence.
Each of these practices is not about achieving more. They are about returning. They are about presence.
The Holy Path of Process
When you shift from destination to process, you begin to see healing differently. It is no longer about a dramatic before and after. It is about the faithful unfolding of your life. It is about walking step by step, knowing that God is with you in all of it.
You are not behind. You are not late. You are not missing out. You are on a holy path, one that is unfolding at the exact pace it needs to. The journey itself is the gift.
Healing is not a place you arrive at. It is the presence you carry as you walk. It is not perfection. It is a process. And the process is holy.
You do not need to chase healed. You need to choose the present. Right here. Right now.
