Latest / Jo Watson: Unfiltered Faith / Healing
Transcript
- Healing: Welcome back to Unfiltered Food. I'm Joe Watson, and it's time to breathe. Time to slow down. Time to let your shoulders drop, and time to step into the sanctuary. Not the sanctuary we're all so familiar with, but the one that God is building inside you. This is the space where we tell the truth about healing the parts that feel holy. Healing the parts that feel Heavy and healing the parts we don't always know how to carry. This is the sanctuary where we admit what hurts, where we name what lingers, and where we let God meet us in the places we've tried to outgrow but haven't yet outhealed. Today's episode is for the one who's been waiting for acknowledgement, waiting for accountability, waiting for the apology that may never come. And the waiting has started to feel like wounding. I received a letter from a listener who put language to a struggle so many believers carry quietly. I want to read that letter now. Dear Dr. Watson, what if healing means accepting that I'll never get the apology I deserved? I've spent so much time waiting for someone to acknowledge what they did, to say, I hurt you, or I was wrong, you didn't deserve that. But what if they never do? How do I make peace with an apology that may never come? Without pretending the hurt didn't matter. How do I let go of the need for their acknowledgement when a part of me is still waiting to feel seen? Maybe healing isn't getting the apology. Maybe it's finally realizing that their refusal to take responsibility doesn't have to keep me wounded. But honestly, Dr. Watson, I'm still learning how to let go of what I deserved but never received. Thank you for your letter. And thank you for your honesty. Your words carry a sacred ache, the kind that God does not ignore. Let me say this gently but truthfully Healing does not require their apology. Healing requires your release, not release of the truth, not release of the impact, not release of your worth, but it requires the release of the expectation that the person who broke you is the same person who must repair you. Scripture says in Psalm one hundred forty seven verse three, He heals the broken hearted and And binds up their wounds. Not they, not the offender, not the one who refused responsibility, but God. God heals. Your healing was never assigned to their accountability. Your wholeness was never dependent on their confession. And here's the deeper truth. Some people will never apologize. Because apologizing requires self awareness, it requires humility, and it requires courage, and they simply don't possess those tools yet. Their lack of apology is not a reflection of your value. It is a reflection of their limitation. You ask, how do I make peace with an apology that That may never come. You make peace by shifting your expectation from them to God. Isaiah chapter sixty one verse three says He gives beauty for ashes, not apologies for ashes, not closure for ashes, but beauty. God Himself becomes the acknowledgement you never receive. Let me say to everyone listening, if you've been waiting for someone to say I'm sorry, and the silence has started to feel like a second wound, hear me when I say, You do not need their words to heal. You do not need their remorse to rise. You do not need their confession to be whole. Jesus said in John chapter 8, verse 36, So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. Freedom is not handed to you by the person who hurt you. Freedom is handed to you by the one who heals you. And sometimes the most powerful moment in your healing journey is when you stop waiting for what they may never give. And start receiving what God has already offered. I want to stop right here and take a moment to pray for every listener who is grieving the apology they never received. Father, for every listener who is grieving the apology they deserve. Wrap them in your comfort. Heal the places that were overlooked. Heal the places that were Dismissed or minimized. Teach them that your acknowledgement is enough. Your validation is enough. Your love is enough. Release them from the emotional debt of those who refuse responsibility and let peace rise in them like a fresh morning. In Christ Jesus' name, amen. Let me say this to someone listening today. You are stepping out of waiting into healing, out of longing and into release, out of emotional debt and into divine restoration. God is returning to you everything their silence tried to steal. You will not be defined by the apology you never receive. You will be defined by the healing that God is giving you now. Because this is your season where you stop waiting to be seen and start living as someone already chosen. Thank you for joining me today on Unfiltered Faith. If you're listening and you've been carrying the weight of an unspoken apology, breathe. You are not. Healing alone, and you are not healing from a place of deficit, you are healing from a place of divine inheritance because God sees you, God knows you, God remembers, and God restores. And if you are carrying a weight that feels too heavy to hold, please remember this podcast is not a substitute. For professional therapy or pastoral care. Reach out. Get the support you need. You deserve that kind of care. And if you would like to send in a question or share a story with Unfiltered Faith, you can reach us at Joe at UnfilteredFaithpod dot com. We would love to hear from you. Your testimonies and your experiences matter. And they help others grow. They encourage weary hearts. And they draw people closer to Jesus. Until next time, family, unfiltered faith, God is moving, so stay ready. And to God be the glory.