When Time Feels Slow
Time changes us in ways we don’t always see. This November, take a moment to reflect on how healing, growth, and faith have shaped you into a stronger version of yourself. This post explores how time changes not only our circumstances but also our hearts, perspectives, and faith. We’ve all faced moments that made us wonder if the pain would ever ease, losing someone we love, ending a marriage, watching dreams change shape. It’s part of being human, but it doesn’t make the ache any less real. As we enter this reflective season, grounding ourselves in gratitude helps us see how far we’ve come Grounded and Grateful: Preparing Your Mind for the Season Ahead.
When Time Feels Slow
They say time heals all wounds.
But if you’ve ever lived through heartbreak, grief, or disappointment, you know that it doesn’t always feel that way.
Sometimes, time feels like a quiet companion, walking beside us as we carry the weight of what was. Other times, it feels painfully slow, as if the minutes themselves are heavy.
Yet, if you look back far enough, you’ll notice something miraculous: you’re not the same person you were when that pain began or the same person you set out to be. Maybe you’re stronger, more ambitious, more determined.
Time, in its gentle persistence, does change everything, even when we don’t feel it.
1. Time Softens What Once Felt Unbearable
Loss, heartbreak, betrayal, none of it disappears overnight.
But over time, the sharpness of pain dulls. We start remembering the love instead of the loss, the lesson instead of the regret.
Our hearts don’t forget, but they learn how to carry the memories with more grace and less ache. I often tell my patients to remember something funny about the loved one they miss. I do that with my mom, it helps me find a smile through the sadness. Healing also requires rest—moments where we stop striving and simply breathe The Importance of Rest: Renew Your Mind and Spirit.
💡 Tip: When you feel stuck in grief or sadness, revisit old journal entries or letters. Notice how your thoughts, emotions, or reactions have shifted. That’s time doing its quiet work.
2. Time Teaches Us to See with New Eyes
The same moment that once broke you might, years later, become the foundation of your strength.
Time gives perspective; it turns confusion into clarity and disappointment into direction.
You may not understand why something happened, but over time, the meaning often unfolds.
I’ve had so many moments that made me doubt the situation at hand, yet years later, I could look back and say, “If that didn’t happen, I wouldn’t be here in this moment.” Sometimes hindsight helps us feel grateful.
💡 Tip: Reflect on a past challenge that shaped who you are today. Ask yourself, “What did that experience teach me about resilience, boundaries, or faith?”
3. Time Doesn’t Heal Without Intention
Time alone doesn’t do the healing, what we do with the time does.
As I moved from childhood to adulthood, I left behind a home filled with pain and emotional abuse. Those scars could have held me back, but I chose to focus on who I wanted to become. I didn’t focus on where I came from; I focused on where I was going.
If we cling to bitterness or replay what we can’t change, the years may pass, but we won’t move forward. Healing asks for participation: reflection, forgiveness, and the courage to try again.
While you work through that, set small goals that help you channel your time and energy into growth and purpose. Building resilience takes time and active effort, as the APA explains in their guide on How to Build Resilience.
💡 Tip: Healing starts with small daily habits—journaling, therapy, prayer, or setting boundaries that protect your peace. Choose one step today that nurtures the person you’re becoming.
Take a Moment to Reflect
Think about a season of your life that once felt impossible. What emotions come up now when you look back?
You might feel tenderness instead of pain, wisdom instead of regret—and that’s how you know time has been at work.
4. Time Allows Us to Dream Again
When life feels heavy, hope can feel far away.
But as seasons change, so do we. Eventually, you find yourself imagining new goals, new joys, and new beginnings.
Time has a way of giving back the parts of yourself you thought were gone forever.
After my divorce, I found a surge of energy and motivation. It allowed me to explore what I wanted and who I was becoming. My goals continued, but they also grew bigger. My motivation became helping others navigate the life challenges that can trap us if we let them.
💡 Tip: If your future feels uncertain, start with gentle goal setting.
Ask yourself:
- What brings me peace right now?
- What’s one thing I’d like to rebuild this year?
- What am I curious about that could spark joy again?
Even the smallest goal can remind you that life isn’t over, it’s still unfolding.
5. Time Reveals God’s Timing
Sometimes the delay is divine.
The waiting, the silence, the not yet, it all has purpose. What feels like wasted time may be God’s preparation for something you can’t see yet.
I often wonder why it took me so long to go back to school for my Master’s. My biggest regret was not doing it sooner. But when I remind myself that everything unfolds in God’s timing, I find peace.
The time I could’ve spent in school was time I spent with my boys during their younger years. Looking back, those were busy but beautiful days I’ll always cherish. Once they were older and more independent, I finally had the space and focus to return to school and that timing was perfect.
Trust that even in the stillness, you’re being refined, strengthened, and positioned for greater things.
💛 Faith Reflection:
“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” — Ecclesiastes 3:11
Closing.
Let Time Work for You No matter where you are in your journey, whether you are grieving, rebuilding, or rediscovering, remember this: time changes everything, but it works best when you partner with it. We may not have control of everything that happens, but we can take control of the growth we make and how productive our time is through this process. Healing rarely looks the way we expect. Sometimes it’s tears, sometimes it’s laughter in unexpected moments, and sometimes it’s quiet acceptance. But every time we choose to keep showing up for life, we’re proving that hope still lives within us. Give yourself permission to feel, to rest, and to grow. Healing is not a race. You will bloom again, maybe differently, maybe slower, but beautifully all the same.
