Can We Control Spiritual Growth & Emotional Healing?
Darin Hufford, author of The Misunderstood God: The Lies Religion Tells About God,
This topic really made me think and question myself.
Darin explains that spiritual growth and emotional healing are involuntary, like physical growth and physical healing. We don’t control it.
He uses the term involuntary spirituality in comparison to involuntary physical actions like breathing, heart pumping, etc. Just as we don’t try to control such involuntary physical actions, we shouldn’t try to regulate or control involuntary spirituality.
Healing Analogy
Darin gives a cut finger analogy:
When you cut your finger, you wash it out and put a band-aid on it. Once that simple act is completed do you sit around and try to figure out ways to get it to heal? Of course not. Nothing you do beyond those initial first few steps will make any difference in the healing process. You won’t speed it up or slow it down. You can read books on cut-healing and go to cut-healing conferences, but in the end, all that energy is a waste of time because your cut will heal itself with or without your help.
God created this healing capacity within each and every one of us. We don’t do silly things like read books and call experts when we scrape or cut ourselves. We don’t squint our eyes and grit our teeth trying as hard as we can for a healing because we know that healing was created within us and it happens on its own…
The cut/band-aid analogy makes sense. God does the healing.
What About Our Responsibility?
But what about our responsibility to wash and protect the cut? Is asking this question just another example of me reverting to a “fix it” mentality? Do I focus too much on what I need to do instead of waiting on God? I have spent years on the performance treadmill trying to earn God’s love. Am I still in the recovery process of thinking the answer to everything is to “try harder”?
Am I still trying to be in control of my own emotional healing and spiritual growth by insisting we have a part in this process?
Another Healing Analogy
Let’s go beyond a simple cut. For the last four years I have been treated for internal bleeding and heart disease. I have seen medical doctors, and recently a nutritionist.
- The medical doctors treat the symptoms with medications or surgery.
- The nutritionist finds and removes the problem so the body can heal itself.
I had open heart surgery four years ago, followed by several heart medications and less extensive surgeries. I almost died several times from hemorrhaging.
In September, I learned that the twelve blood transfusions and ten hospitalizations I had last year were a direct result of heart medication I had been given (only needed for three months, but doctors kept me on them for two years). In this case the medical solution was the problem, not the answer.
I’m currently working with a nutritionist to remove the problem (wash and bandage the cut). I’ve been diagnosed with celiac disease and need to stop eating foods that contain gluten. With the problem removed (gluten) my body is able to receive the nutrition necessary to heal itself.
God Does the Spiritual Healing
Darin explained that life is set up by God Himself in a way that naturally brings forth things like inner healing, growth and maturity.
I believe I am too quick to try to force the healing myself.
More from Darrin’s blog:
Many Christians feel like they’re waiting in line for an emotional healing that they probably won’t ever find. They become like the chronic overweight person who has tried everything from low-carb diets to overnight miracle pills, and after being let down half a million times, they finally collapse into a world of utter hopelessness. The mere mention of emotional healing catapults them into a world of self-loathing depression.
They forgave every person they could remember being mad at. They’ve visited their inner child more times than they care to remember. They’ve quoted all the formula prayers, stood on all the right scriptures, and even had the in-house deliverance expert walk them towards the light, but come Monday morning they found themselves right back where they started.
…We talk obsessively about growing in the Lord. We ask each other what they’re doing to grow in the Lord. We tell people that if they aren’t growing they need to be doing this and thus. We pride ourselves in saying that spiritual growth is the number one thing our church or ministry cares about..
…Christianity is known for taking the things that happen naturally in the course of life and claiming authority over them. Then, when what would have happened on its own, happens; we claim responsibility and call ourselves powerful.
If we would just learn to keep our noses out of the areas in life where we are not needed, we might find that Christianity is amazingly easy. I have come to believe that 90% of the stress and difficulty in the modern day Christian life, is self induced. We are praying about things that don’t need prayer. We’re claiming authority over things that don’t need our authority and leadership. We spend our time asking God for things that aren’t even on the menu and we spend all our faith on things that happen naturally.
Again, I agree with Darin.
I’d like to add (and I think Darin would agree) we need to find all the potential causative factors to the problem and remove them in order to allow God to repair the spirit, i.e., get rid of sins such as unforgiveness. Unforgiveness causes deep pain and leads to hideous bondage resulting in bitterness, rage, anger, and malice (Ephesians 4:31).
However, even our part—in this example, forgiving—is impossible without God. He is love; He puts the love in us. Only through resting in Him can forgiveness flow through us. We can’t work out our way to get a healing. God does it all.
What Would Jesus Do?
Much of Jesus’ teaching was directed at the religious Pharisees, who were focused on their performance treadmill. Jesus summed up all the commands in two: love God and love others.
If we focus on these two commands—enjoying a relationship with God and others—it will allow growth and healing to happen.
It’s Up to God, Not Us
Darin’s point is, “Growing isn’t up to us; it’s up to God.” We need to stop striving, live life and enjoy a relationship with God. He says,
…Christianity is NOT about changing and getting better. It’s about experiencing life. If you just get on the train of life and enjoy the ride, God will take care of everything else. This literally changes the entire landscape of Christianity as most people know it today.
If you need an inner healing, just know in your heart that it’s happening. You can’t make it happen any faster than you can heal your finger if you cut it. YOU WILL HEAL! Know that and live life. YOU WILL GROW! Nothing you do will make yourself grow any faster. Growing isn’t up to us; it’s up to God.
…As Christians we have a responsibility to LIVE LIFE. Our life is set up by God Himself in a way that naturally brings forth things like inner healing, growth and maturity. These things are the responsibility of God; NOT US. I honestly believe that we’ve driven ourselves crazy because in our own arrogance and unwillingness to enter into life, we’ve hijacked God’s responsibilities and have foolishly depended upon ourselves to carry them through.”
What do you think?
What do you think? Does this rock your beliefs? Is spiritual growth, like physical growth involuntary? Do we have a part? If so what? Jesus said that He came that we might have life, and life to the fullest. Could it be that in the course of enjoying life, and loving one another things like growth and healing happen on their own?
Looking forward to hearing your perspective.
- You can listen to Darin’s podcast here. Scroll down to and click on Involuntary Spirituality.
- Read blog post Involuntary Spirituality here
