Healing

When life hurts...

Many years ago, when I was in my mid-thirties, I recall this woman saying to me that I would not understand how it is to have problems, that my life is so good. Clearly this woman knew nothing about me. She was judging me off of having known me for a very short time, and she concluded that I had had a perfect life with no troubles. -- I remember thinking, "If you only knew, lady."

What was so silly about this woman, was that she would think anyone would not have troubles. Everyone has troubles. Nobody gets out of this life without troubles. And fact is, trouble also, does not stop for anyone. It's not our imagination. There really is another trouble around the corner. Scripture tells us, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous: But the LORD delivereth him out of them all."

Just as God does not hide the fact that we are going to have troubles in this life, He also does not hide from us what we are to do to get through those troubles. There are many verses on getting through troubled times. For example; God tells us in scripture to "think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you."

And there is scripture on how to be ready for troubles, like "Put on the whole armour of God." Ephesians 6:11-18 should be as mandatory for the soul, as fruits and vegetables are for the body.

The bottom line is that we can buy books, watch videos, listen to all the advice that's out there, but nothing is going to do for us what God's word does for us. God's word prepares us for trouble and gets us through trouble.

Trauma and Hypervigilance: Most everyone at some point(s) in life deal with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) from trauma, physical and or emotional trauma. And I believe that PTSD results in hypervigilance, being on a fearful and an on-edge watch for "it" (trouble) to happen again. Then this hypervigilance often causes an overreaction when "it" does happen again, trying too hard to get ahead of "it".

Confusion: The confusion we can find ourselves in, due to trauma, opens the door for the seemingly never-ending questions that start with, "Why." And we will most likely never get our specific "why" questions answered. Sadly, we could drive ourselves nuts, trying to get those specific "why" questions answered. And as long as we continue to look for answers to those specific "why" questions that cannot be answered, our confusion cannot come to a full and peaceful end. Scripture says, "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace..." Notice that the opposite of confusion is peace.

Fear: When we do not have peace, that is when we fear "it" happening again. That is when we find ourselves being hypervigilant. Scripture also tells us, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." Notice here in this scripture that the opposite of fear is, power, love, and a sound mind."

Scripture does tell us to be vigilant, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." But it does not tell us to be hypervigilant. It is one thing to be vigilant, so that we will be ready for when bad things happen and at times avoid some of those bad things. It is quite another to be hyper while doing so. We are not to live in fear. And we are not to live in a manner as if we could be trouble-free. Bad things are going to happen. And we will be able to deal with them so much better, without fear. We are not to fear the things of this world, the things of this life, as such fear is not of the Lord and something He tells us not to have.

Help ourselves: We also have a need to do something, to do something to help ourselves, to do something about "it". However, all too often what we do ends up hurting us more, directly, or indirectly. And all too often, what we do, keeps us in our hurt, just going round and round, while we really just want off the horrible ride. Have you ever wanted the world to stop, so you can either figure things out or get off of it? I have bought so many self-help books, watched so many videos, and read so many articles on trauma, troubles, etc., and none of them got me off of that horrible ride, that horrible ride of hurt.

I am not saying there is no place for those books, videos, and articles, as they can help us come to grasp with what we are dealing with in ourselves and possibly others (to a degree). But what I am saying is they are not going to get us out of our troubles, as only God can do that. I am convinced that the only way to heal is with God and His word. The only way to be prepared is with God and His Word. And the only way to prevent things that are preventable, is with God and His Word. And the only way to deal with trouble when we find ourselves smack-dab in the middle of it, is with God and His Word.

Debra...