The Wounded Healer

On a cold April morning in Castle Rock, Colorado, I told God I thought I might be ready to help people again. I was living in a converted school bus on twenty acres. I had lost my marriage, my ministry platform, my home, and most of what I thought defined me. I was not sure I had anything left to offer anyone.

Within the hour, my phone rang. A woman I barely knew, sobbing before she said a single word.

This final episode is about what healing actually looks like. Not the Instagram version. Not the "I'm all better now" version. The version that limps. The version that still has hard days. The version that gets triggered at a wedding and has to breathe through mantras before walking down the aisle.

Jacob wrestled with God all night and walked away with a new name and a permanent limp. The limp was not the consolation prize. It was part of the blessing. That is what a wounded healer is. Not someone who has it all figured out. Someone who limps toward you and says "I know this road."

If you have been with me for this whole series, thank you. If this is your first episode, go back to Episode 1. This one will wreck you in the best possible way either way. But you deserve the full journey.

This episode is drawn from my book "You're Not Crazy, You're Traumatized." The podcast gives you the principle. The book gives you the whole story. Grab it here: https://www.smalleyinstitute.com/offers/dQkGnEiB/checkout