What's Your Plan
Have you ever read a book or listened to a homily or podcast, and thought, "That's good stuff! I need to do that." And then you set it aside, and before you know it, two months have gone by, and you've forgotten all about it.
It reminds me of the story of Paul in Athens in Acts chapter 17. He's preaching in the Areopagus and he's killing it. He's really connecting, and many people are engaged in the conversation. At the end, some mocked him, some joined him and believed, and others said, "We will hear you again about this." It was interesting to them, but they were not moved to do anything.
I can relate. I hear things and agree. I may even be convicted that it's important for me, but unless I make a plan to do something with that information, there will be no change.
Many of the blog posts this year have addressed healing. This post brings it all together to propose some steps for creating a healing plan that addresses your unique needs. Perhaps it will help you take what you've heard or read and apply it to your life.
Step One: Assessment
When I am sick and go to the doctor, the first thing he wants to know is my symptoms. If I have self-diagnosed, he won't agree until he has assessed the situation himself.
In the same way, when I want healing of anything—body, mind, or soul — I need to do an assessment. I need to know what's wrong. I need to know the symptoms, all of them.
What is happening in my body, the physical stuff? Persistent headaches, cancer, back pain, high blood pressure, vision problems, hearing problems, toothaches. Make a list of everything.
What's happening in my mind? What are my emotions? What are my fears? What are my insecurities? What self-protective mechanisms do I use? What do I believe about myself and about others? Do I see myself as a beloved child of God?
Finally, what's happening in my soul? How is my relationship with God? What's my prayer life like? Do I know God as a good Father that can be trusted, someone who loves me perfectly? Do I have unconfessed sins? Where are the wounds in my spiritual life that need healing?
As you think and pray through the symptoms of sickness in your body, mind, and soul, you may see some connections, or maybe not. It doesn't matter. Write down everything that's happening so that you know where you are starting.
One other element of analysis that's important is our barriers to healing. There are five common barriers: unforgiveness, unbelief, ego/pride, spiritual arrogance, and quick-fix solutions. You can read about them here. Which barriers need to be addressed so that healing can happen?
Step Two: Goals
What healing do you want? Be very specific about the desired healing in each of the three areas: body, mind, and soul. That might sound something like this: I want healing in my neck because it's stiff and hurts when I move it the wrong way. I want healing in my mind because I get discouraged easily, still trying to overcome the harsh words from my parents who never thought I would amount to anything. I want to love myself and believe that I can achieve something useful. I want healing in my soul because I don't trust God. I think I have to control everything. I want to surrender more willingly and less fearfully.
When you know your goals, you also know how you should pray, and how you might ask others to pray for you. Maybe you write a prayer that you pray every morning for as long as it takes. And you ask others to pray as well. A friend who was undergoing mouth surgery asked her friends to pray a specific novena for her intentions before the day of the surgery. God wants us to ask for things—big things and little things. Speak your needs to God. Yes, He already knows what you need. He knows before we even ask for it. But we are still supposed to ask.
Step Three: Resource Inventory
This is where you analyze the resources available to you so that you can determine which ones you will use. Which ones will be most helpful in meeting your goals?
I've shared 14 resources for healing. (You will find them here, here, and here.) They include things like forgiveness, prayer, spiritual warfare, community, and humility. It's not an exhaustive list, but it's a start. Consider these questions as you take inventory of what might be most helpful to you.
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Which resources are you already using?
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Which resources are available that you have not yet tapped into? Why not?
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Which resources are not easily available to you, but if they were, they might be helpful?
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Which resources are unlikely to be helpful to you? Why?
Answering those questions will help you decide what to do next.
Step Four: Choose an Action and Get Started
Here's where it can get tricky. There are two unhealthy ways to approach this. The first is to make a very robust plan that has lots of steps, using tons of resources. That's too much and will probably not succeed. The other unhealthy approach is the opposite—to do too little. Healing can be scary, and we can choose a path that will keep us safe but won't bring healing. Maybe you have done that. You talk with a friend, but you still feel broken. Your friend may be a great listener and a faithful friend, but you need something more. When I take the safe route, I won't have much healing. I have to step out in faith.
Those are two mistakes we want to avoid. Instead of planning too much or taking the safe route, choose one or two things that might help and get started. Commit to following your plan for 30 days. You usually have to stick with it long enough to know if it's a good fit for you.
Step Five: Review and Adjust
Sometimes Jesus heals all at once, and other times it happens more slowly. When he healed the blind man in Mark 8:22-26, it wasn't all at once. He applied healing balm, asked how it looked, and the man saw what looked like trees. He prayed again, and the man could see clearly.
That's how it may be for us. We make some progress, and then things seem to stall. We make a little more progress. We change our plan a bit. Try a new resource. We must adapt our plan as we make progress. When we adhere to a rigid structure, we might be trying to control the process rather than allowing God to work. That would mean the healing was all up to me, when it's not. Plan to review and adjust regularly.
Praying for Healing
Pray before creating your healing plan. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in assessing what's wrong and developing a plan. This isn't a purely logical exercise. We need help to see things as God wants us to. Sometimes in our brokenness, we can't see things clearly. And sometimes God brings healing in a way we could not have imagined. So we pray. Pray before writing the plan. Pray while developing the plan. Pray while living the plan. Pray without ceasing.
Creating a healing plan is not always something to do alone. We may need an objective "other" who can help us through each step without telling us what to do. This might be a therapist, a spiritual director, or a wise spiritual friend. They should listen well, desire what is best for you, be willing to challenge you, and give you perspective when you can't see the forest for the trees. Pray for God to show you who might serve you in this way.
Download a free Healing Plan Worksheet to help you think through the steps in your plan.
Questions for prayer:
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Who can help you discern the best healing plan for you? How might you enlist their help?
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What might be the next step in your healing journey? Choose one action to take and set a target date to begin.