NETWORK LIFE
June 9, 2023
By Stacey Stolte
“Oh, I don’t have any trauma, I’m just here because my friend invited me…” In my work as the Program Lead for Bible-based Trauma Healing at the Canadian Bible Society, I’ve come across a few people who join one of our Caring for the Wounded Heart groups saying things like this, only to flee the room a few minutes later, the discussion hitting right at that painful place in their hearts they haven’t been able to talk about to anyone, much less acknowledge to themselves.
A common misconception about trauma is that it is always caused by a catastrophic event. The truth is even seemingly insignificant actions repeated over time can cause us to carry heart wounds that impact our thoughts, emotions, bodies, and our relationships with people and God. We may lie awake at night, wondering what we did wrong, reliving those experiences over and over; we may do everything we can to avoid reminders of the loss, such as making ourselves too busy, or numbing our pain with food or other substances; we may be hypervigilant, ready to protect ourselves from being hurt again, withdrawing from, or lashing out at any perceived threat. We may wonder where is God in all of this; if he really loves me, why didn’t he stop this from happening? Is he punishing me?
These are very real questions and struggles that many people face, not realizing that they are suffering from the effects of trauma. It affects every part of their lives: they lose sleep, feeling anxious much of the time, so they become sick; they suffer from the breakdown of relationships and feel they have nowhere safe to turn for help, especially not to God, who seems to have abandoned them just when they needed him.
Where IS God in all of this? IS he testing us? Are we doomed to live out the rest of our days in pain, carrying heavy burdens of anger and bitterness? Scripture says no! The Bible has many verses that speak of the great love of God and tells us that he is close to the broken-hearted (Ps 34:18) and assures us that he will never leave us nor forsake us. (Deut. 31:8) He lifts us out of the pit and gives us a firm place to stand. (Ps 40:2)
God created us with the capacity to grieve and to heal and given us tools to do so. In Caring for the Wounded Heart, we learn that when we are able to share our pain with another person, we can begin the journey toward healing, which includes stops along the way where we learn about Grief and Lament, a space to bring our pain to the Cross, and work toward forgiving those who have hurt us. This helps us to build resilience for the next time we face a painful experience.
What a good and loving God we serve, who not only leads us to healing, but walks alongside us on the journey."
We want to invite you to our upcoming LMT webinar 'Bible-based Trauma Healing & Your Muslim Friend' happening on June 15, 2023 from 5 - 6:30 pm (PST) / 8 - 9:30 pm (EST). You are invited to hear from Stacey Stolte and Steve Moses on Bible-based trauma healing, from the Trauma Healing Institute.
This unique method combines proven mental health practices and engagement with God through the Bible. It is designed to help people identify their pain and loss, share their suffering with others, and bring their pain to Jesus, The Healer.
For more information please click HERE.