Healing in Small Steps: Noticing God’s Quiet Work in Your Life

Hey, my friend. Can I tell you about something that completely captured my attention this summer?

A family of geese has made my parents’ yard their temporary home. Every time I visit, I find myself looking for them before I even walk inside.

The first time I saw them, I noticed one of the goslings had an injured wing. While the rest of the family wandered ahead, this little one often stayed behind. When the others slipped into the pond, it remained on shore.

But it didn’t stay alone for long. Because one of the parent geese would leave the others and come stand beside it.

And I literally cannot tell you how much that small act has stayed with me. The parent wasn’t trying to force the gosling into the water. It wasn’t rushing its healing or acting frustrated that it couldn’t keep up. It simply stayed close.

Before there was any visible sign of healing, there was presence.

I found myself looking for that little gosling every time I visited, wondering how it was doing. So you can imagine how incredibly happy I was the day I finally saw it paddling across the pond with the rest of its family.

A few days later, I watched as the family began what looked like flying lessons. The adult geese would demonstrate how to take off, and the goslings would flap their little wings as fast as they could, trying to follow. The injured gosling still wasn’t soaring through the sky, but it was trying.

And somehow, that little scene felt deeply hopeful. Because healing is often like that.

We tend to think healing arrives all at once. One day we’re struggling, and the next day we’re completely different. We imagine we’ll wake up one morning and suddenly feel whole again.

But that’s rarely how it happens.

Healing usually arrives so quietly that we almost miss it.

Maybe it’s the first time you’ve answered a text instead of letting it sit unanswered.

Maybe you finally said yes to an invitation after months of isolating yourself.

Maybe you looked someone in the eye when that used to feel impossible.

Maybe you laughed—and only afterward realized it had been a long time since you’d laughed like that. (Raising my hand here.)

Maybe you opened your Bible.

Maybe you opened your journal.

Maybe you simply got out of bed today.

Those moments may seem ordinary. They may even feel too small to celebrate. But don’t underestimate them. Healing rarely announces itself with fireworks. More often, it whispers. One small step. Then another. Then another.

Until one day, you look back and realize you’ve traveled farther than you ever imagined.

I think that’s why the gosling has stayed with me.

Yes, I loved seeing it finally swimming with the others. I loved watching it flap its wings during those awkward first attempts at flight. But what moved me most wasn’t actually the healing. It was what happened before.

Before there was progress, before anyone could point to visible change, before the gosling could keep up . . . one of its parents kept choosing to stand beside it.

And isn’t that such a beautiful picture of God’s heart? Sometimes we think we have to make enough progress before God draws near. As though once we’ve healed enough, grown enough, or become strong enough, then He’ll be pleased with us.

But Scripture tells a different story. God comes near to the brokenhearted. He doesn’t wait until they’re no longer broken. His presence isn’t the reward at the end of healing. His presence is part of the healing.

So if you’re in a season where you aren’t seeing many signs of change yet, I hope you’ll remember that little gosling. Before it ever swam, before it ever flew, someone was already standing beside it.

And today, God is standing beside you, too.

Journal Prompt

Here’s a journal prompt I’d love for you to spend a little time with this week: What is one small thing you’re doing today that would have been difficult for an earlier version of you?

Don’t rush past your answer because it seems insignificant. Instead, thank God for that small evidence of His quiet work in your life.

And if you honestly can’t think of anything yet, don’t force an answer. Instead, write about where you most need His presence today. Because sometimes, before we notice healing, we first discover that we were never alone.

Invitation to Journal Gently

One of the things I love about that little gosling is that it didn’t have to figure everything out in a single day. It simply took the next small step.

That’s really the heart behind the Journal Gently program.

If you’ve been longing for a gentle rhythm of meeting with God—especially if you’re carrying grief, trauma, or simply feel emotionally exhausted—I hope you’ll consider joining our live eight-week journey. Together, we’ll create space to slow down, listen, write, and notice the quiet ways God is already at work.

I’d love to walk that journey with you. We start in September. You can learn more and sign up at karibartkus.com/journalgently.

I’ll see you next time.

RELATED EPISODES:

• Episode 205: Participating in Our Healing: A Conversation with Heather O’Brien
• Episode 189: When Healing Takes Longer Than You Hoped
• Episode 178: Exploring Our Stories One Piece at a Time