Fear can prompt us to avoid and stave off the wholeness that God desires for our lives. It may be due to trauma or some other influence, but our human response to pain doesn’t want to touch or disturb what hurts. In our natural minds, it makes sense.
We often think that if we ignore the memory of our trauma or leave it alone, the offender will lie dormant or simply fade on its own. However, that is a deception, as many of the mental and emotional health challenges we encounter are often triggered out of dormancy because we don’t deal with the trauma that wounded our souls.
Even if we are distanced from a previous experience, the voice of trauma can stun us into remaining inert and detached from the healing Jesus came to give. As a result, we rarely want to confront what may have injured us at a place in our painful past.
This is a real experience for those of us who have suffered past trauma and currently wrestle with the evidence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. We may find ourselves confused by what appear to be contradictions between the realities of our experience and our faith in Jesus Christ.
In one sense, we have a legitimate need to experience justice and vindication. Still, another part of us is afflicted by a spirit of fear and coping skills that may not be answering our soul’s cry.
Our soul reminds us that it craves resolution and recovery from unhealed pain and trauma. Many of us may be experiencing the effects of PTSD, but don’t revisit unresolved matters until the memory of an incident is triggered by our senses. It catapults us into distress when we have to address it. Though challenging, we cannot experience restored mental and emotional health without a willingness to enter the dark and scary places.
For God to heal what’s hurting, we must bring it out of hiding for the sake of our own spiritual, mental, and emotional health and well-being. Shame is a vicious accuser and a hard taskmaster, but we don’t have to remain imprisoned by what we think God will reject.
God is fully aware of our trauma and present PTSD symptoms. He desires to meet us with a love powerful enough to anesthetize and annihilate the post-traumatic sting from our memories as well as our mental and emotional health. The Holy Spirit won’t abandon us wherever we are on our journey. He has begun good work in us and refuses to leave us in the same condition in which we were found.
Thankfully, we don’t have to venture into this on our own. The same Holy Spirit powerful enough to raise Jesus from the dead lives inside of every Christ follower (Romans 6:10-11). He empowers us to do what seems insurmountable. Jesus has conquered the PTSD that seems to consume our experiences in both our waking and sleeping moments. Christ who loved us, has made us more than conquerors (Romans 8:37).
Next steps for overcoming trauma
No matter what you confront, you are never in this fight alone. You are always equipped with spiritual armor to stand with Christ in complete victory. Contact us at Redding Christian Counseling in California secure empathetic counsel from a professional and schedule your appointment.
Take the next step to address past trauma, treat PTSD, and care for your mental and emotional health with someone who can support you with what seems impossible.
“Cottontails”, Courtesy of Amber Martin, Unsplash.com, CC0 License
