Making It Through the Mess: The Two Directions of Healing
What is the biggest mess you have ever faced—and how do you begin to heal from it?
In this special episode, recorded at Village Church in Swoope, Virginia, Brian and Heather share personal stories of abuse, divorce, cancer, grief, abandonment, depression, reconciliation, and God's faithfulness through life's most difficult seasons.
Their experiences reveal a simple but powerful truth: healing happens in two directions.
We heal vertically as we move toward God—surrendering our pain, connecting with Him, and learning to see our circumstances through His lens. We heal horizontally as we move toward trustworthy people—allowing community, empathy, encouragement, and accountability to help carry us through.
Your mess may be part of your story, but it does not have to define your future. God can use even the hardest seasons to develop perseverance, restore hope, deepen relationships, and lead you toward purpose.
In This Episode
Brian and Heather discuss:
- Why the way we see our mess often determines the way we walk through it
- How worship, prayer, journaling, and Scripture help us connect with God
- What it means to exchange our perspective for God's lens
- Why isolation can prolong our pain
- Why asking for help is not a sign of weakness
- How to find trustworthy people who offer both empathy and encouragement
- The importance of reconciliation and second chances
- Why healing begins when hiding from God and others ends
- How the vertical and horizontal beams of the cross remind us to love God and love people
Key Takeaways
- Change your lens. Look for what God may be doing in you, even when He does not immediately change the situation around you.
- Take an active step toward God through worship, honest prayer, journaling, and Scripture.
- Do not carry your burden alone. Identify one safe, trustworthy person and invite that person into your story.
- Look for people who offer both empathy and motivation—someone willing to sit with you in the pain and help you take the next step.
- Hold on to hope. Hope does not mean the problem has already been solved; it gives you strength to continue toward healing, growth, and purpose.
Scriptures Mentioned
- James 1:2–4 — Trials, perseverance, maturity, and joy
- Isaiah 43:18–19 — God doing a new thing and making a way in the wilderness
- Proverbs 15:22 — The importance of counsel and wise advisers
- Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 — Two are better than one
- Exodus 18 — Jethro advising Moses to share the burden
- Matthew 22:37–39 — Loving God and loving our neighbor
Questions for Reflection
- What hurt, struggle, or difficult season are you carrying right now?
- Are you seeing your circumstances through your own lens or asking God to help you see them through His?
- What is one practical way you can move toward God this week?
- Who is one trustworthy person you could invite into your story?
- Where might God be developing perseverance, hope, or purpose through what you have experienced?
Links and Resources
Join the Conversation
What helped you make it through one of life's messiest seasons? Share your story or one takeaway from this episode in the comments. Your experience may be exactly the encouragement someone else needs.
Content note: This episode includes personal discussions of domestic abuse, divorce, cancer, grief, abandonment, depression, and alcohol use as a coping strategy.
