A Season of Stripping Back to Heal

Can you believe it is FEBRUARY!? God has been laying a special message on my heart, and I wanted to share it with you. You may be in need of healing or renewal, and God wants you to know that He sees you and He loves you. 

We don’t usually go looking for a season of healing—especially when it means confronting the areas of our lives that are sick, broken, or dysfunctional. I’ll admit, I like to keep a sunny outlook and I can be quick to sweep things under the metaphorical rug. 

Healing is wonderful, but it starts with exposure. The exposure of our sickness. The exposure of our brokenness. 

This might seem trivial, but recently, I stopped getting my nails done. For the past year and a half, I was hooked on dip powder! My nails always looked strong and pretty. But when I went to a new nail tech, she refused to do dip powder and recommended I give my nails a break (something my mom had been suggesting for months).

I decided to listen. She carefully removed the powder, and as she stripped back the thick veneer that had been covering my natural nails for over a year, I found myself the owner of soft, brittle, thin, broken nails. (Surprise, surprise—my mom was right.)

My nails were so weak that everyday tasks felt strange. Washing my hair, opening a toy for my child, even getting dressed—everything felt unfamiliar. I realized that while I was on the path to healing, I had to face the truth of my brokenness first.

That fake veneer gave me the illusion of strength. It was nothing more than a veneer of vanity.

This small moment set off a series of questions in my heart. I felt God gently asking me to pay attention: 

What else do I need to strip back? 

Where am I carrying a false sense of strength? 

Where am I covering up brokenness with a veneer of vanity? 

Where do I need to BREATHE and heal?

Honestly, all over. I need healing in nearly every. area. of. my. life.

One of the most obvious veneers of vanity is social media. It gives us a false sense of strength and can mask so much brokenness. But it’s not just social media. I began asking myself, What else gives me a false sense of strength? My job? My accomplishments?

I walked through a lot of “breaking” last year. (Maybe you did too.) My natural tendency is to put on rose-colored glasses, find the silver lining, and reach for joy. (I always want joy at headquarters!)

But I’m learning that healing requires more than just joy. 

Taking a break,

Stripping back,

Allowing the brokenness to be revealed,

Having hard conversations,

Setting new boundaries,

Saying no,

Taking time to heal…

This is what I really need.

I need to reach for God’s strength and simply admit my weaknesses. I need to remember—

Our God is patient.
Our God is kind.
Our God is full of tender mercy.

He waits patiently as we walk away from the false strength we’ve been clinging to and back into His loving arms, where we can finally curl up and cry.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

I invite you to ponder these questions this week. God is a beautiful, kind healer.

What do I need to strip back?

Where am I carrying a false sense of strength?

Where am I covering up brokenness with a veneer of vanity?

Where do I need to breathe and heal?

Take time to sit with these questions. Healing might feel uncomfortable at first, but it leads to true strength—the kind that only comes from God.