Healing is a Choice (Book Review)

They say that time heals all wounds. They lie. Time alone heals nothing.  It is what you do with that time that makes the difference. Time alone can actually make a wound worse. If you have ever had a minor cut or scrape that got infected and left it untreated then you know what I am talking about. Without the proper cleansing and treatment, a simple flesh wound can become life altering. In many ways, what is true for your physical health is also true for your mental health.

In Healing is a Choice: Ten Decisions That Will Transform Your Life and Ten Lies That Can Prevent You From Making Them, Stephen Arterburn takes healing head-on. Arterburn has experienced great pain and emotional damage in his life so he is speaking from experience when he offers his readers a path to healing. A few of the ten decisions Arterburn lists include:

• the choice to connect with others
• the choice to forgive
• the choice to serve
• the choice to persevere

I found the complete list of Arterburn’s ten decisions very helpful, but the four I listed above were the ones I particularly agreed with. The chapter on forgiveness was especially powerful. Everyone knows someone who simply cannot let go of the past and forgive. Maybe that person is you? Arterburn writes:

Real resentment over real damage by a real person produces a justifiable resentment, and it becomes such a huge part of your life that it feels like a vulture sitting on top of you – a dark and dangerous presence that affects everything you do.

This book is full of wisdom and practical and understandable advice.  It also now includes a workbook that allows the reader to focus on healing and do some real soul-searching and introspection.

I would recommend this book to anyone who needs healing – which more than likely  includes you. In Arterburn’s closing thoughts he reminds readers that they have a choice and that healing is within their hands. He states that one can either “choose a future that is burdened by an unresolved past…Or you can choose a different future right now in this moment.” Which will you choose?

Disclaimer:  I received an ebook version of this book in exchange for this review.  All opinions are mine.