When Healing Hurts: Choosing Grace Over Bitterness

Have you ever found yourself helping the very people who hurt you the most? Joyce Meyer and guest Nona Jones open up raw, vulnerable conversations about what real healing looks like. It’s not always a miracle in a moment—sometimes, it’s a walk through fire holding God’s hand.

Joyce shares a powerful, personal story about caring for her abusive parents—moving them close, paying their bills, and doing it all without ever hearing a “thank you.” And she’s honest about it: she didn’t want to do it. But God called her not to do what felt good—but to do what was right. Forgiveness wasn’t a feeling. It was a decision. A spiritual offering. A sacrifice of obedience.

And then there’s Nona—carrying deep wounds from her own mother, being told things that would destroy most people. Yet years later, she supported her financially, even as her mother spread lies about her. Why? Because she wasn’t doing it for her mother. She was doing it unto God.

Both women speak to the pain of being obedient in the face of injustice, and what it costs to walk in grace when bitterness would be easier. But through that, God wasn’t just using them to help others—He was transforming their own hearts. Healing wasn’t just about recovery. It was about spiritual growth. About developing a pastor’s heart. About dying to self.

And the reward? Not applause. Not appreciation. But something better—peace. And the freedom to live unchained from the people who hurt them.

They talk candidly about shame—how it lingers even after the abuse ends. Guilt says “I did something wrong.” Shame says “I am something wrong.” But when we bring those secrets into the light, healing begins. Joyce says, “Our secrets make us sick.” And Nona reminds us: shame grows in the dark. But when we speak out, we take away the enemy’s power.

There’s a spiritual principle they both affirm: Forgiveness increases anointing. God blesses those who release the past and walk in His grace, even when it’s hard.

Their message is clear: healing isn’t forgetting. It’s choosing to love anyway. It’s making peace with the past, not because they deserve it—but because you deserve peace. It’s doing what God asks, even when your heart isn’t there—because that’s when your heart begins to change.

And in the end, God doesn’t just heal the wound—He uses it. He brings beauty from ashes. Through ministries like Project Girl, Nona is now using her story to rescue and empower other young girls walking similar roads. What once hurt her now helps others.

So if you’re walking through the pain of healing, know this: you are not alone. You’re not broken beyond repair. And the same God who walked Joyce and Nona through their healing will walk with you, too.

Let go of the bitterness. Let the secrets out. Forgive—especially when it hurts. Because God promises double for your former shame, and everlasting joy in return.