90 Degrees Is Not 180 Degrees

Healing is a funny thing. Now I say that not because it's humorous, but because it's a wild ride.

If I step back from the details of healing, such as from a loss or a trauma you see almost every situation involves one thing. Turning away from something.

Turning away can be leaving an addiction behind, leaving a toxic relationship, ending your use of lies, or many other things.

Turning away can also be turning away from a mindset; like always having to be right, stopping ignoring red flags, finally admitting they are cheating on you or abusing you, or believing you need someone's attention in order for you to be happy.

Often times healing is turning away, but not completely

Sometimes healing is taking your hope out of your immediate day to day view so you can focus on other things.

Think of it like turning 90 degree to one side, instead of turning a full opposite 180 degrees.

I have found that this distinction is a lesson I had to learn. You see when you turn 90 degrees, your hope does not leave your view. It's still your hope on the horizon. But it's not the thing directly in front of you anymore. It's not taking up your whole view every day, because it's off to the side.

This is where some profound healing happens. Because you are able to emotionally hold onto your hope; hope for healing, hope for reconciliation, hope for wisdom, hope for a new job, hope for change. Without letting go of it entirely. Without giving up hope.

It allows you to get yourself about the work of continuing forward in your life!

So whether you can turn 90 degrees and keep going, or maybe you need to turn the full 180 degrees. Turning that full 180 degrees to realize you have turned too far and lost sight of your hope. But on the bright side now you have a good idea how much to turn back to get that hope back in view!