We have all see the sign: NO PARKING ANY TIME. We have also probably been tempted to park in that NO
PARKING zone. Some us may have even parked there and had the vehicle towed and impounded. In her book,
Healing the Soul of a Woman, Joyce Meyer uses this powerful analogy of the NO PARKING ANY TIME as a
metaphor for how we sometimes deal with our mental, emotional, and spiritual pain (2018).
Many people experience issues such as anger, depression, anxiety, bitterness, and resentment because an event
or experience has occurred in their life and left them feeling alone, broken, and afraid. The outcome is that this
experience or multiple experiences have compounded and accumulated over time and has resulted in us
parking ourselves at the point of our greatest pain and never moving forward (Meyer, 2018). We may even
desperately want to move, but somehow feel we deserve to be there, or develop a belief system that convinces
us there is no way out because it will always be this way. So, why even try.
We have a sly, clever enemy who knows how to trick us into parking in a NO PARKING zone. He may use
justification to keep us parked. Well, if they hadn’t hurt me I wouldn’t be this way. They caused this pain;
therefore, they are the ones that need to apologize, not me. Maybe you are unaware you parked in a NO
PARKING zone which is often filled with deception. This can show up as unforgiveness or secret sin. This can
also look like deep wounds that we think we have dealt with and are in the past, but they really aren’t.
Sometimes we are fully aware we have parked in the NO PARKING zone, but for the life of us cannot figure out
how to get out. This can look like deep shame, guilt, or anger from being shattered by someone else or our own
actions. It can take the form of self-punishment, self-harm, or destructive self-talk because of the belief that
somehow “I deserve this”.
The worst part about being in the NO PARKING zone is the potential for being impounded if we don’t move.
This is when our experiences put us in a mental, emotional, and/or spiritual prison or we can hold someone else
mentally, emotionally, or spiritually hostage in that prison. The real heart breaking part about that is the fee has
already been paid and the gate is standing wide open, yet we never realize it because we are convinced nothing
will ever change and that it is too late. There is no way out.
We don’t always have control over what happens to us. Our life experiences are a mixture of what happens to
us at the hands of others and what happens to us by our own choosing. One of those we have control over, the
other one we do not. However, imprisonment can be the result of both of these if we camp out where God has
clearly marked off as NO PARKING AT ANY TIME. It’s not always easy to recognize if we are parked in a NO
PARKING zone. Once we do realize it, it is an entirely separate journey to move out of that place. Please know
God is not asking you to do this alone. Not only will God never leave you or forsake you, but He will also send
others to minister to you and light that pathway through the gate or reroute you so you do not park in your
pain. You may feel like complete healing and restoration may work for other people, but not for me. Please
hear me…God does His best work when there are impossible odds. Only God can take what is broken and
shattered beyond recognition and create greater strength after the brokenness than before.
I recently had an unexpected injury to my ankle that required screws and a plate. As I have learned about my
injury and repair, I first learned my foot had to be put back in its proper place because it was dislocated. I then
learned the extent of my brokenness would not heal on its own. If I parked myself at the point of my greatest
pain because of the unknown future and healing process, it is likely I could have lost the use of my foot. I yielded
and submitted to the physician who knew exactly how to heal my injury so that my functioning could be
restored. However, this wasn’t the end of the journey. After surgery the healing process had only just begun.
Surgery wasn’t enough for complete healing. I had to move and stretch and be moved and stretched by others. I
had to begin to use muscles, ligaments, and tendons that had been severely traumatized. My gait was awkward
and unsteady and I had a noticeable limp. At times the stretching hurt, yet day to day healing was happening.
Things I couldn’t do the weeks and days before, I could now do. If I wanted full restoration, I couldn’t park
anywhere along the way. Not only was full restoration on its way but the bones that were shattered would heal
to become even stronger than they were before being broken and shattered. How can that be so? But God….
We all have shattered places. Be mindful of where you park. If you can’t find the way out, ask for help. There
are countless others who have found the pathway out and are willing to go back in and light the way for your
freedom. Be willing to be stretched in the places that hurt. It may feel awkward at first, but freedom looks
amazing on you. God is mindful when administering freedom to tailor it just for our pain. Willingness to allow
Him access to those places is the first step. Are you willing?
Meyer, Joyce. Healing the Soul of a Woman. FaithWords: Hachette Book Group, 2018. Print.
PARKING zone. Some us may have even parked there and had the vehicle towed and impounded. In her book,
Healing the Soul of a Woman, Joyce Meyer uses this powerful analogy of the NO PARKING ANY TIME as a
metaphor for how we sometimes deal with our mental, emotional, and spiritual pain (2018).
Many people experience issues such as anger, depression, anxiety, bitterness, and resentment because an event
or experience has occurred in their life and left them feeling alone, broken, and afraid. The outcome is that this
experience or multiple experiences have compounded and accumulated over time and has resulted in us
parking ourselves at the point of our greatest pain and never moving forward (Meyer, 2018). We may even
desperately want to move, but somehow feel we deserve to be there, or develop a belief system that convinces
us there is no way out because it will always be this way. So, why even try.
We have a sly, clever enemy who knows how to trick us into parking in a NO PARKING zone. He may use
justification to keep us parked. Well, if they hadn’t hurt me I wouldn’t be this way. They caused this pain;
therefore, they are the ones that need to apologize, not me. Maybe you are unaware you parked in a NO
PARKING zone which is often filled with deception. This can show up as unforgiveness or secret sin. This can
also look like deep wounds that we think we have dealt with and are in the past, but they really aren’t.
Sometimes we are fully aware we have parked in the NO PARKING zone, but for the life of us cannot figure out
how to get out. This can look like deep shame, guilt, or anger from being shattered by someone else or our own
actions. It can take the form of self-punishment, self-harm, or destructive self-talk because of the belief that
somehow “I deserve this”.
The worst part about being in the NO PARKING zone is the potential for being impounded if we don’t move.
This is when our experiences put us in a mental, emotional, and/or spiritual prison or we can hold someone else
mentally, emotionally, or spiritually hostage in that prison. The real heart breaking part about that is the fee has
already been paid and the gate is standing wide open, yet we never realize it because we are convinced nothing
will ever change and that it is too late. There is no way out.
We don’t always have control over what happens to us. Our life experiences are a mixture of what happens to
us at the hands of others and what happens to us by our own choosing. One of those we have control over, the
other one we do not. However, imprisonment can be the result of both of these if we camp out where God has
clearly marked off as NO PARKING AT ANY TIME. It’s not always easy to recognize if we are parked in a NO
PARKING zone. Once we do realize it, it is an entirely separate journey to move out of that place. Please know
God is not asking you to do this alone. Not only will God never leave you or forsake you, but He will also send
others to minister to you and light that pathway through the gate or reroute you so you do not park in your
pain. You may feel like complete healing and restoration may work for other people, but not for me. Please
hear me…God does His best work when there are impossible odds. Only God can take what is broken and
shattered beyond recognition and create greater strength after the brokenness than before.
I recently had an unexpected injury to my ankle that required screws and a plate. As I have learned about my
injury and repair, I first learned my foot had to be put back in its proper place because it was dislocated. I then
learned the extent of my brokenness would not heal on its own. If I parked myself at the point of my greatest
pain because of the unknown future and healing process, it is likely I could have lost the use of my foot. I yielded
and submitted to the physician who knew exactly how to heal my injury so that my functioning could be
restored. However, this wasn’t the end of the journey. After surgery the healing process had only just begun.
Surgery wasn’t enough for complete healing. I had to move and stretch and be moved and stretched by others. I
had to begin to use muscles, ligaments, and tendons that had been severely traumatized. My gait was awkward
and unsteady and I had a noticeable limp. At times the stretching hurt, yet day to day healing was happening.
Things I couldn’t do the weeks and days before, I could now do. If I wanted full restoration, I couldn’t park
anywhere along the way. Not only was full restoration on its way but the bones that were shattered would heal
to become even stronger than they were before being broken and shattered. How can that be so? But God….
We all have shattered places. Be mindful of where you park. If you can’t find the way out, ask for help. There
are countless others who have found the pathway out and are willing to go back in and light the way for your
freedom. Be willing to be stretched in the places that hurt. It may feel awkward at first, but freedom looks
amazing on you. God is mindful when administering freedom to tailor it just for our pain. Willingness to allow
Him access to those places is the first step. Are you willing?
Meyer, Joyce. Healing the Soul of a Woman. FaithWords: Hachette Book Group, 2018. Print.