Week 10: The Impossible Life: Weekly Reflections on Faith, Pain, and Triumph.

Elizabeth Ford
Jun 30
3 min read

Week 10: Life Sometimes Needs Realignment

Sometimes when our back, neck, or shoulders hurt, we need to go see a chiropractor. One adjustment can bring immense relief. But sometimes, it takes multiple visits to truly feel whole again.

That is how life works too.

You can start on one path, and suddenly find yourself way off course. The pain builds up slowly. The misalignment becomes normal. Until one day, you wake up and realize that you are aching in places you did not even notice were hurting.

Getting realigned is the only way to return to a straight path.

And this applies to every part of our lives. Our faith walk. Our relationships. Our career. Our inner peace.

When I Knew Which Path Not to Take

Growing up with my mother, I learned early what kind of life I did not want.

I did not want to cry every day.

I did not want to live with roaches.

I did not want to live just dreaming about what could be and doing nothing to get it.

I did not want to worry about checks bouncing or debit cards getting declined at the store.

I did not want instability to define me.

But in my desperation to escape that life, I rushed. Instead of making a clear path, I jumped onto the first road that looked straight.

That road was my ex-husband.

He seemed to have it all together. He told me he could provide the life I dreamed of, of stability and love. And I believed him.

But I went too fast.

And what looked like a straight road turned out to be another cycle of poverty and something far worse, daily abuse, mental and physical, and a lot of days being both at once.

Realignment Takes Trust and Time

After my marriage was finally over, I had to stop. I mean really stop. No fast turns. No impulse moves.

I had to learn to trust again. I still can struggle with this, and it is a consistent growing into the new me challenge.

Not just others, but myself.

I had to learn to slow down and be okay being still.

To not chase the finish line but walk with intention.

Because just like with a chiropractor, one adjustment doesn’t fix it all. You need time. You need consistent alignment. You need healing between the appointments.

And no, it was not flashy or perfect.

But it was solid.

It was grounded.

It was real.

I slowly became me, who I knew and wanted to be.

Picking the Better Cry

Not long ago, I heard an older woman get asked on the street in a reel online, “What kind of man is a good man?”

Her response made me laugh and think.

She said, “All men will make you cry. So would you rather cry in a Lamborghini or a Toyota?”

She said to pick the lamborghini to cry in.

It made me realize something about how so many of us as women have chosen.

We rushed.

We wanted love.

We wanted security.

And sometimes, we chose what looked best without slowing down long enough to see what was really there.

But this time, I chose differently.

My marriage today is rooted in our faith and our walk with Jesus.

It is loving, and I know this man (my husband) does not want to make me cry.

And if that means I chose a Honda instead of a flashy Lamborghini, then so be it. I won't have to cry in it. That I know.

Because he is my walking peace. I call him my human valium.

He dries my tears.

He sees my wounds.

He does not add to them.

This Week’s Truth: It Is Okay to Slow Down

Sometimes healing is not about sprinting forward.

Sometimes healing is about stopping.

It's about realigning.

And waiting on what is real instead of rushing toward what is fast and right now.

It does not mean your past was your fault.

It means your future deserves more intention.

Because you are worth it.

Overcomer Challenge

Ask yourself: Where in my life do I need realignment?
Slow down. Say no to what looks good but feels wrong.
Write a list of red flags you ignored before, and make a promise to yourself not to overlook them again.