Broken Arrows - Healing What Remains

Sometimes the wound isn’t the problem anymore… but what’s left behind is.

In this powerful episode of A New Level Awaits You, Lois Flewelling continues the Thriving & Wholeness Series by exploring the deeper impact of betrayal—what happens when the “arrow” has been removed, but fragments still remain beneath the surface.

You may have forgiven.
 You may have moved forward.
 But something still feels unresolved.

These are what Lois calls “broken arrows”—the hidden places in the heart that continue to influence your reactions, relationships, and sense of identity long after the moment has passed.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

•  Why healing doesn’t always end when the situation is over 
•  How hidden “fragments” affect your emotions and responses 
•  The difference between surface healing and deep restoration 
•  How to invite God into the places that still need healing 

Through biblical insight and compassionate teaching, you’ll be encouraged to go beyond managing pain and step into true, lasting freedom.

You were never meant to carry what pierced you.

If this episode spoke to you, there is more waiting for you.
 Take the next step in your healing journey through the Thriving & Wholeness Series, along with powerful resources, online courses, and opportunities for deeper transformation.

Visit www.loisflewelling.com
to explore books, teachings, and ways to continue growing in freedom, identity, and purpose.

You are not stuck here—your next level is waiting.

Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:05

Hi, I am Lois from Welling. We all desire spiritual growth, but do not always know where to begin. On the New Level Awaits You, we provide steps to guide you into your divine assignment and reach new levels of greatness in the Lord. You'll begin to soar above every obstacle and enter into your specific assignment. So get ready to go from glory to glory as new levels await you. Well, welcome back to A New Level Awaits You. I'm Lois Flewelling, and we're continuing the Thriving in Wholeness series based on my book, Freedom After Betrayal. In our last episode, we talked about the arrows, the moments that pierce the heart. Those moments of betrayal that came suddenly and leave a wound that we did not see coming. But today we're going to go even another level deeper because sometimes the arrow does not just pierce, sometimes it breaks. And when it breaks, part of it may be removed, but part of it can remain beneath the surface, hidden, unseen, quiet, but still influencing. Today we're talking about broken arrows, healing what remains. A broken arrow is different than the initial wound. It is not just about what happened, it's about what was left behind after the moment had passed. You may have been, you know, moved on from the relationship. You may have forgiven the person. You may change your environment and made intentional decisions to go forward. But yet there are moments when something still feels unresolved. I've talked about them a little bit last time, that seem stronger than they should be. There are memories that still carry weight. There's a hesitation that rises up in you, even when you want to trust again. And you may find yourself asking, why is this still here? I thought I had dealt with it. I know many of us have said this. I thought I had forgiven. I thought I had moved forward. But what you're feeling is not failure. It is not weakness, it is an invitation. You can remove the arrow and still carry the fragment. Scripture reminds us in Proverbs 4.23, above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. So when something pierces the heart, it does not just stay in one moment. It begins to influence everything that flows out of us. And when a fragment remains, it quietly shapes how we respond, how we connect, how we trust. These fragments often form what I call pain pockets. They become subtle triggers, lingering beliefs, quiet fears. They do not always shout for attention, but they influence in your life in a way that you may not immediately recognize. They show up in the way when you pull back when you want to lean in. Broken arrows begin to speak into your identity. They whisper things like, oh, be careful, do not open up too much, or oh, you better protect yourself. And while these thoughts may sound wise over time, they can become very restrictive. What started as protection can turn into limitation, and limitation can begin to define how you live. But God didn't create you to live limited. Psalms 147, 3 tells us he heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Notice that he does not say he only heals the visible wounds. It speaks to the places that are hidden beneath the surface, the places that still need his touch, the places that were never meant to remain wounded. You can love God deeply. You can be walking forward, you can even be helping others. And you can still have areas where healing is needed. That does not mean that you're stuck. Deeper healing, deeper freedom, deeper wholeness. Healing broken arrows requires us to go beneath the surface. It's not just saying I forgive them. It's asking, what did this do to my heart? It's not just saying I am moving forward, but allowing the Lord to reveal what part of me is still carrying this. Psalms 139, 23, 24 says, Search me, O God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there's any offensive way in me and lead me in the way of everlasting. See, this is an invitation to allow God to come into those hidden places, the places we may not even fully understand ourselves. And here's what I here's what I love about the Lord. He is gentle. He does not force healing, he actually invites it. Isaiah 42, 3 reminds us, a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. What's that saying? It means he knows how to handle the fragile places in our hearts, he knows how to touch what is tender without causing more harm. He comes with care, with precision, and with love. Healing broken arrows is not about striving harder, it's about surrendering deeper. It is coming before the Lord and saying, Lord, this is still here. I did not realize how much it had affected me, but I give it to you. It's acknowledging the place, naming what remains, and inviting him into that exact space. And as you do, something changes. Hebrews 4.12 tells us that the word of God is living and active, able to divide between soul and spirit. In other words, God knows how to reach into the deepest parts of your being and separate what needs to be healed from what you truly are. He knows how to remove the fragment without damaging your identity. Don't you love it? I know I do. And when those fragments are removed, you begin to experience a new level of freedom. Well, I've talked about this before, too, but peace replaces the tension that we're always feeling. Clarity replaces the confusion that seems to want to dominate our minds. And you begin to respond differently in situations that once triggered you. I love this verse too, 2 Corinthians 3 17. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. What does that freedom look like? Well, let me tell you, freedom is not just about it external, it's also about the internal. It's about having the freedom where your heart is no longer reacting out of the wounds, but responding from a place of wholeness. You begin to feel whole. Not because the past did not happen, but because it is no longer has that hold on you. So let me ask you something today. Is there an area that feels unresolved? Not overwhelming pain, but a subtle discomfort, a reaction that you don't fully understand, a hesitation that you cannot explain. See, we may have to go deeper. That there may be that broken arrow there. And instead of ignoring it, I want to invite you to bring it to the Lord. Ask him, Lord, is there anything still in my heart that needs healing? And then listen. Just listen. Don't try to guess it. Don't try to beat him to it. Just listen, because he's faithful to reveal. And he's faithful to restore. Now let me explain some of this a little bit more. Our listening sometimes people think, oh, I gotta hear the voice of the Lord say this, that. No, sometimes we'll immediately go into a memory. Sometimes we'll immediately have a name come forward. Sometimes there immediately a situation, a place, whatever that is, that is the Lord speaking to you. That's the listening. Maybe something overwhelming comes forth out of your emotions. Maybe it's anger. Ask the Lord, where is this anger coming from, Lord? Where out of my life, out of my past, what's going on? What is it, Lord, that is holding me? What's that arrow attached to? And you know, he's faithful, isn't he? He's faithful to reveal to us until we get all those broken arrows pulled out of us. I recently just watched a show, and in it, they it was like a hospital doctor kind of show. And in it, a patient came in and he had been shot with these tiny little, and I don't know all my guns and all this and that. But anyway, there was fragments of things all through his body, his legs, his stomach area. And as I watched this, they immediately had to take him in, and they had to figure out okay, how many times what how many fragments were there, and they determined that they kind of counted it up. And in this particular case, he had 14 different fragmented pieces that had had hit his body. And one by one, they started to pull them out. And it was just interesting how in this, in this, I don't want to get too graphic with you, but you know, it's like they they had to take something and go in there and pull out. And at one point, they even had to cut and go in deeper. And I felt like this was symbolic of what God's doing with these broken arrows. Sometimes the broken arrows will go in and we'll just snap it off. And we think, oh, I've forgiven. That's the big part is gone. But there's that peace that's left in, the part of the arrow that will infest and grow and and be fragmented. And sometimes we need to, we can just pull it out. We can go, okay, Lord, show me who, let me forgive, let me repent, let me, and let me forgive myself for what I did. Or sometimes God has to go in there and just cut it in a little bit deeper. This is what I'm talking about. Let him go in there and just cut that open and pull that whole thing out so true healing can occur. He's faithful to reveal and he's faithful to restore it. The question is are you willing to allow him to open that up for you? Like he said, it's not gonna hurt as deeply this time. You've already taken care of most of it, but I want to encourage you again, forgive yourself, release that out as well, and you will see the arrow will pop out sometimes immediately. So let me pray for you, Lord. I thank you that you see every broken arrow inside of us. I thank you, Lord, that even you know every fragment, even when we may not see it, maybe it's way down in deep, but Lord, you see it and you know the spots. I ask you to come in today, Lord God, and gently reveal what still needs healing. Lord, I pray that you'll give us all the courage to go deeper with you, that you'll take us not just surface level healing, but Lord, that you will go way down in deep and give us that ability to step in so we can get that complete restoration in you. Remove every single fragment that does not belong. And again, Lord God, I ask for your peace to be restored in them. I ask that your trust will be restored, Lord God. I ask, Lord God, that you will continue to work through us for that wholeness and freedom. And Lord, lead all of us into the fullness of who we really are. I know you can pull out the fragments without damaging our identity because you created us and you know the beginning from the end. So I thank you, Jesus, for your healing touch today on each and every one of them listening. I thank you, Lord, that you're pulling out those arrows even right now. Lord God, I, as I often do, I see that, Lord God, that they're even starting to come forth. They're still, it's like they're moving, Lord, they're moving up through the body from the death that they were into the place, Lord God, where each individual can see those broken arrows and release them. And I thank you, Lord, for your healing touch this morning on every single person listening. In your precious name we pray. Amen. Well, I want to thank you again for joining me. On a new level awaits you. And I'm trusting that this whole series on freedom after betrayal is something that is helping you. And if you want more, you know you can always go and and get order my book on you can order it on Amazon or you can order it on my website, loisflewelling.com, because I believe this good book is anointed. I believe that God is wants us to go beneath the surface of living and he wants to restore us completely. Because again, I'll say, no matter what we've gone through, God is with us, he is faithful, and he will guide us and help us. And I know he wants to move you out of that place that you're in and take you into a new level with him. So God bless you, and I'm looking forward to talking to you again next time. I want to thank you for watching and joining me on this journey as we go higher. Expect to grow, expand your territory, and enter into new levels of intimacy with the Lord. Check out my website at loisforwelling.com for books, online courses, podcasts, and other resources to help you soar in the Lord. Are you interested in increasing your confidence, being able to speak assertively, subdue your fears, manage life situations effectively, and overcome rejection or betrayal so that you can tenaciously stand back up again? Then you must sign up for a free strategy session so we can design a plan specifically for you. I now offer one-on-one coaching sessions with group sessions coming soon. My heart is to equip and make disciples and advance them into living a life more abundantly. Yes, my website is loisfelling.com. Check it out, and I hope to be talking to you soon.