Why Healing Doesn’t Always Look the Way You Expected

Progress isn’t always a straight line.

Some days, you feel like you’re soaring. Other days, you wonder if you ever really moved at all.

And that’s not failure. That’s what healing actually looks like.

We tend to think of healing as a neat, upward climb—like checking steps off a list. But real healing, whether emotional, physical, or spiritual, rarely travels in a straight line. Sometimes you take two steps forward, pause, and stumble back one. It’s frustrating when you’re doing “all the right things” and still feel stuck. It’s disheartening when old wounds flare up without warning.

But it doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means you’re in process.

Even in Scripture, we see how God works through the long, winding paths.

• “The righteous may fall seven times but still get up.” (Proverbs 24:16, NIV)
  Your falling doesn’t disqualify you. It’s your getting up that matters to God.
• “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6, NIV)
  Healing isn’t something you have to finish by yourself. God is faithful to complete what He starts.
• “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3, NIV)
  Healing isn’t a one-time moment—it’s a continual binding, a daily restoring.

Consider Peter. He walked on water one moment, only to deny Christ later (Matthew 14:29-30; Luke 22:61-62). Yet Jesus still called him to lead, still saw the strength beyond the stumble.

Look at David. Anointed as king while still a teenager (1 Samuel 16:13), but it would take years, tears, and trials before he actually sat on the throne. In the caves, on the run, David must have wondered if the oil that touched his head had dried up. Yet God remained faithful, even when the journey didn’t feel straightforward.

Or think about the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:25-34). Twelve long years. Doctors failed her. Crowds pressed her. But one touch—even after all that waiting—was enough. Healing didn’t come instantly for her. It was fought for in the unseen years before the miracle.

Healing isn’t a performance. It’s a becoming.

The dips, delays, and detours are not disqualifications. They’re part of the deeper work being done in you.
Sometimes it’s the stumbles that teach you how to walk more humbly.
Sometimes it’s the moments when you feel weakest that produce the most real, unshakable strength.

Paul said it best:
“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.” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV)

Healing isn’t about showing strength all the time.
It’s about letting God’s strength carry you when you feel your own slipping.

So if today feels heavy, breathe.
If yesterday looked brighter than today, breathe again.
You are still healing, even here.
And that’s more than okay.

Pastor Harold Robertson, Jr.

District Elder & Pastor Harold Robertson, Jr. is a seasoned IT Accounts Manager and spiritual leader who bridges technology and faith to drive innovation in schools, churches, and communities. With certifications in ITIL, Google Workspace, AI, and church administration, he empowers organizations to thrive through strategic tech integration and leadership.

Pastor Harold Robertson, Jr.

District Elder & Pastor Harold Robertson, Jr. is a seasoned IT Accounts Manager and spiritual leader who bridges technology and faith to drive innovation in schools, churches, and communities. With certifications in ITIL, Google Workspace, AI, and church administration, he empowers organizations to thrive through strategic tech integration and leadership.