016 Genesis: The Healing Begins

Series: Whispers from the Word 

Exploring God’s Covenants and the Promises We Make to Ourselves 

Picking Up the Thread: Returning to the Word 

In Blog 008, I shared that I’ve reached My Turning Point. It wasn’t one moment—it was a culmination of many, shaped by both external circumstances and internal awakenings. What matters most is this: I want to change my life. I want to live the best life I possibly can. And to do that, God must be at the center. I don’t just say that—I believe it. I want it. I trust, with all my heart and soul, that He has a beautiful life planned for me. 

Accepting His plan is the easy part. The hard part is learning how to live in a way that earns His trust—so He can give me more, trust me with more, and use me more to fulfill His purpose. That’s why I’m starting where all beginnings should start: with the Holy Bible. 

I’m approaching Scripture not as a textbook, but as a guide. A sacred companion I can turn to for answers in this chaotic world and on this healing journey. I believe that as I move through each book, I’ll uncover wisdom—wisdom I can apply to my life, my choices, and my transformation. If we are made in God’s image, then living in that image is the ultimate goal. 

Each month, I’m reading, listening, and studying one section of the Bible—not just to learn, but to heal. I’m not here to preach, or to tell you how to live your life. I’m not a biblical scholar. I’m just a woman walking through Scripture for the very first time, knowing I’ll miss things—and trusting that what I do find will be exactly what I need. 

In the Beginning: A Foundation for Healing 

Before there was form, there was intention. Before there was light, there was love. And before I could begin again, I had to return to the beginning—not just of Scripture, but of myself. 

It’s not easy to look back and trace the path that led to pain. But that’s what it is, really—pain. Hurt disguised as loose skin, flabby thighs, and puffy cheeks. The world often sees morbidly obese people as lazy or unmotivated. But I know better. That’s not the truth. 

While reading Genesis, I was reminded that we are all made in God’s image. Perfect creations in His eyes. The problem is—we don’t see ourselves that way. At least I don’t. When I look in the mirror, I see every flaw. The color of my hair. The tone of my skin. The weight on my body. There’s always something to criticize. 

Maybe it’s time to take a new approach. Maybe it’s time to see ourselves the way God sees us. To treat ourselves with the same love He offers so freely. 

Perhaps that’s the true beginning I need on this healing journey—a shift in perspective that opens the door to spiritual renewal and emotional restoration. Because how I see myself shapes how the world sees me. If I want to be seen as love, I have to start by seeing myself with love. 

This is the first step: to see myself as God sees me. 

God’s Covenants in Genesis 

If the beginning was love, then the next step must be promise—because love, in God’s hands, always becomes covenant. In Genesis, God revealed His love not through vague gestures or fleeting reassurances, but through sacred promises. These covenants were anchored in mercy, obedience, and restoration. They weren’t just agreements; they were divine invitations to trust, to begin again, and to walk in relationship with Him. 

Each covenant in Genesis reveals something about God’s heart—and something about ours. As I read through these verses, I began to notice a pattern: God meets us where we are, but He never leaves us there. 

1. Adam & Eve – The First Promise of Redemption 

 Even as God addresses the consequences of the fall, He plants a seed of hope. The promise of a future Redeemer reminds us that healing begins even in brokenness. God doesn’t abandon us—He begins again with us. 

2. Noah – A Covenant of Mercy 

God’s vow to Noah is more than protection—it’s mercy made visible. The rainbow becomes a whisper of grace, a reminder that even after devastation, beauty and promise remain. 

3. Abraham – A Covenant of Faith and Legacy 

God calls Abraham to believe in a promise far bigger than himself. Stars in the sky, descendants beyond number—this covenant is about legacy, obedience, and the quiet power of trust. 

4. Jacob – A Covenant of Identity and Transformation 

God meets Jacob in his wrestling and renames him—not because he was perfect, but because he held on. This covenant reminds us that transformation is part of the healing journey, and that identity is shaped in the struggle. 

From each of these covenants, I began to see a blueprint—not just for how God relates to His people, but for how I might begin to relate to myself. In every promise, there’s a pattern: new beginnings, mercy, trust, and transformation. These aren’t just divine gifts—they’re invitations. If God can offer them to humanity, perhaps I can offer them to myself. And so, as I continue this healing journey, I’m learning to make covenants of my own—sacred promises that reflect His love and honor my becoming. 

Making Covenants with Myself 

If God’s covenants reveal how He loves us, then my own must reflect how I’m learning to love myself. I’ve said the words—I love myself—but have I ever truly meant them? For years, I’ve abused my body, placed myself in harm’s way, and consistently pushed my own needs aside. None of that is love. The truth is, I don’t think I’ve ever really loved myself. Maybe it wasn’t my fault. Maybe I just never learned how. 

To follow in God’s footsteps—to mirror the way He treated His people with mercy, patience, and grace—my covenants must follow His lead. I won’t be perfect in their application, but writing them down is a beginning. A sacred beginning. 

First: New Beginnings I can no longer fear starting over. Each day, I choose to wake up with the mindset that it’s Monday—a fresh start, a clean slate. It reminds me that it’s okay to mess up, and it’s okay to begin again. As many times as I need to. I believe that if I keep showing up, those messy days will become fewer. And grace will become my rhythm. 

Second: Mercy I am often my harshest critic. When things don’t go as planned, I spiral. I’ve written about this before, and I’ll keep writing about it—because it’s where I struggle most. Forgiving myself isn’t easy. Letting go of the “I must be perfect” mindset takes work. It takes devotion. It takes constant self-awareness, so those thoughts don’t sneak in like a thief in the night. 

Third: Trust I’ve got to learn to trust myself. The outside noise is loud—everyone has an answer, but no one has a solution. The truth is, I already have the solution. It lives within me. I have to learn to rest without guilt and listen for the whispers of my soul. The answers are there. I just have to trust them. And when I do, success will follow. 

Fourth: Transformation This healing journey is about becoming. Not just physically, but mentally and spiritually. I don’t want to speak negativity over myself anymore. I don’t want to doubt my ability to grow, to rise, to become. I don’t want to believe the naysayers who try to hold me down. I want to transform. I want to become everything God created me to be. 

These four covenants—welcoming new beginnings without shame, extending mercy when perfection isn’t possible, trusting the quiet wisdom within, and giving myself permission to transform—are the foundation I’m building on. They are my sacred promises. My healing begins here. 

A Thread of Truth

Before we can become who we’re meant to be, we have to unlearn who we were told we were. We have to quiet the outside voices that insist we’re not enough—and silence the inner ones that echo them. Because the truth is, we are enough. We always have been. 

We are not broken. We are not burdens. We are not mistakes waiting to be fixed. We are beloved. We are seen. We are made in the image of a perfect Creator who called us good from the very beginning. 

To walk in His footsteps is to see ourselves through His eyes—not as flawed beyond repair, but as worthy of love, worthy of healing, and worthy of becoming. That doesn’t mean we don’t grow. Growth is the heartbeat of this healing journey. But it begins with the radical act of acceptance: knowing that at our core, we are already whole. 

This Is Not the Whole Story

This is not the whole story—because healing doesn’t end with acceptance, it begins with pursuit. Pursuit of truth. Pursuit of wholeness. Pursuit of the version of you that God already sees. May you feel the holy ache to become. May you hunger for wisdom that transforms, not just informs. And may you have the courage to apply what you learn—not perfectly, but faithfully—so that your life begins to reflect the love that created you. 

You were never meant to stay where you started. You were meant to begin again.