When our hearts are hurting, and we’ve endured the unimaginable, it’s tempting to show to worldly things to ease our pain. These numbing devices can include alcohol, drugs – including pharmaceutical drugs, pornography, sex, shopping, eating excessive amounts of foods which might be harmful to our bodies, over-exercising, overworking, oversleeping, and the list goes on and on. All can result in dangerous addictions. When we pour ourselves into these kind of things to ease our pain and suffering, the relief is short-lived. Choose to show to the just one who truly knows our suffering and the just one who can heal us through it.
What Does the Bible Say about Trauma?
There are a number of different sorts of trauma and tragedy that leave us broken and unrecognizable to ourselves and sometimes to those around us. Our tragedy can occur straight away, leaving us in shock and disbelief. These moments cause an unexpected change in our lives, and so they actually derail the expectations of what we thought our beautiful life would appear to be. We are left with the aftermath of emotions – heartache, pain, suffering, and sometimes emotional and physical responses, including depression and illness. We may often re-live these tragic events again and again in our minds, further torturing ourselves and making it difficult to pay attention, be productive, be present with those we love, and even cause difficulty making necessary life decisions. Enduring trauma and tragedy can often lead us into isolation as a way of self-preservation.
We aren’t meant to depend on this world, where we are able to get stuck in our hurt, continually re-living the trauma. It can leave us stuck, where we are able to’t get off the bed, find motivation, or stop scrolling social media. The pain and exhaustion can seem to maintain piling on. We can feel as if we’ve got physical weights holding us down and drowning us on this place of brokenness, sadness, and overwhelm. But the Bible gives us a promise.
“The Lord is near the brokenhearted and saves those that are crushed in spirit.” – Psalm 34:18
What if there was one other way? What if we didn’t must stay stuck on this torment? What if we could find hope and healing? In Revelation 21:4, we’re given one other beautiful promise:
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There might be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
This passage doesn’t promise we won’t endure hard things on this life. Jesus tells us that we are going to suffer hard and painful moments. (John 16:33) We can take the hand of Jesus and are available to him. He can bring us to a recent place of hope and healing where we all know we aren’t alone and might begin our healing journey with Jesus beside us, guiding and loving us the entire way.
Jesus Understands Our Pain
Jesus has endured all of it. He is conversant in hurt, destruction, and suffering. Jesus was betrayed by his closest friends, the federal government, and even the church. He was persecuted, judged, beaten, tortured and broken. He was spat on, laughed at, and mocked. Jesus knows suffering and isn’t any stranger to all of the hurt we’ll or have endured. He extends empathy towards what we’re going through and offers an incredible invitation to assist us with our hope and healing. The blood of Jesus can heal our brokenness. He invites us to bring all our pain and suffering to him on the foot of the cross. Jesus extends an invite to us in Matthew 11:28-30,
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I provides you with rest.”
He’s not asking us to be healed and whole or figure it out before we go to him. We can come as we’re: broken, hurting, indignant, and sad. We can find rest, hope, healing, true peace, and luxury after we’re affected by trauma and tragedy. He can wipe away every tear after we allow him to wrap his arms around us to assist ease our mourning, crying, and pain. We can learn who God says we’re and let Him mold us back together to make us recent. In Jeremiah 18:5-6 we read,
“Then the word of the Lord got here to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay within the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand.”
In these verses, God reminds us we’re in His hands. Whether your brokenness is in pieces otherwise you’re broken to dust, He can and can put you back together in the event you let Him. He gives us the selection. Jesus calls out to us,
“Come to me, all you who’re weary and burdened, and I provides you with rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I’m gentle and humble in heart, and you’ll discover rest on your souls. For my yoke is simple and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30
3 Ways to Find Comfort in Trauma and Tragedy
1. Prayer
Come to Jesus through prayer. Create time and space to hope to the Father. Be completely present, vulnerable, and honest without restrictions on time or availability. We are told to hope repeatedly. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 What a ravishing option to move through the day! This is our time to be all in and to present our Father all of us.
2. Journaling
Start with prayer. Ask Jesus to be with you throughout the exercise. Pick just one thing or event every time. Asking Jesus to disclose and heal the trauma or tragedy. Remember, Jesus is at all times right there with us. Write all the things! This is simply between you and God; He needs all of you, not only the parts which might be easy to point out Him. Write all the things that comes up. Be vulnerable and raw. Work through feelings, memories, wrongs done to you, and wrongs you’ve done to others. Write where you’ll want to forgive others, yourself, and even God. There is healing within the writing. The words will flow quickly at first and eventually slowly. When this happens, ask the Holy Spirit to point out you more surrounding the situation. I wish to ask, “What else?” after which sit and wait. More will come. Repeat until nothing more involves your mind.
I often do journaling exercises as a part of my healing process. I even have a notebook that I exploit for this specific purpose. However, I don’t save these particular journal entries. I shred them once I am done. It’s definitely therapeutic to release the past and move forward into the current. Some like to avoid wasting them to look back on the writing and see how far they’ve come. I believe that is an ideal idea with other types of journalling entries, but I don’t recommend re-living trauma and suffering. After all, we’re here to depart all of it on the cross to maneuver forward.
3. Gratitude
Once you’ve gotten reached quietness after the purge, finally end up your writing by specializing in gratitude. This is a very necessary step. Please don’t skip this.
“Rejoice at all times, pray continually, and provides thanks in all circumstances, for that is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Write the entire things that you just’re grateful for on this moment. Write all the things that involves mind. The Holy Spirit at all times guides. Let your heart feel the love of Jesus and refill every a part of your body and soul. Feel his love fill every a part of you. Now is the time to rejoice within the love, the hope, and the healing of Jesus.
Jesus is our hope. He is our healing. He is where our joy comes from. Friend, we aren’t meant to hold our hurts weighing us down. The weight in your shoulders will not be vital and ultimately brings you to a selection. Jesus desires to take our hurting from us so we could be put back together and made recent. Something is amazing on the opposite side.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Kamonwan Wankaew
