Healing Your Wounded Soul: Growing From Pain to Peace

 

No one is surprised that a librarian reads a lot of books, but it might surprise you that I have read quite a few "self-help" books. Most educators and parents today are familiar with the concept of "growth mindset" (rather than a "fixed mindset") that we can embrace our mistakes and learn from them and in doing so open ourselves up to greater learning. So I have embraced the hardships in teaching, marriage, motherhood, and just generally being a human. I have read books about anxiety (my favorite is "The Anxiety Toolkit"), books about marriage (a big fan of "The Five Love Languages"), and on and on. Oftentimes I find secular books extremely lacking. The faith component for me, in processing life's challenges, is a big one.  I have appreciated the many books offered by Ancient Faith Publishing on topics such as parenting, marriage, and even ecology.

The church is a hospital for sinners. How we deal with our own mistakes, shortcomings, and needs, with the help of our faith is how we can continue to grow and thrive. Most Orthodox Christians are familiar with the icon of "the ladder of divine ascent". The icon depicts saints in heaven looking down on humans as they struggle toward heaven and are thwarted by demons pulling at them and shooting them with arrows. It is a powerful image.  What does one do if they struggle or fall off the ladder-- our spiritual fathers say we have to get up! Get back on the ladder and try again. As we continue to get back up, we need to nurse those spiritual wounds.  Even if it was possible to live a life without being snared, or shot, by a demon's arrow, witnessing the world around us opens wounds that need to be healed. 

  We live in a beautiful world, but we also live in a broken world. This book is a very straight forward guide through experiences one may have had, and how to process them. Father Joshua is a licensed counselor. He writes in a clear way and offers many helpful explanations and exercises for healing. The most moving chapter for me was on "the fruits of healing". Consciously and deliberately putting in the work to break cycles, change thought patterns, and "do better" benefits ourselves, all those we interact with, and future generations.  The book ends with "Through the healing work we have discussed, every broken heart can become like the space of the empty tomb-- devoid of pain, sorrow, fear, and anger, and filled with light, hope and love". I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is struggling to find peace.