Peace of Mind...3 Ways to Seek Healing From Trauma

For everyone here that feels on the edge with your work or life in general, we’ll be talking about Burn Out next week. This week we’ll be talking about Trauma!

Unfortunately many or maybe even most in here today have experienced some sort of trauma. It’s why every time we come together we should come with prayerful hearts that we can find healing.

So, the question is “What is Trauma?”.

Trauma is a response to a deeply disturbing or distressing event.

We may think of it as physical, a physical injury or abuse. It is. It’s also emotional, mental, and spiritual.

The wounds you can’t see can hurt as much as the ones you can see!

Sometimes those wounds take even longer to heal.

Many have been deeply hurt and experienced horrible things in life. Some today may be walking through it right now. We’ve all had well meaning good hearted Christians look at and say...

Romans 8:28 NKJV

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Nothing wrong with this, it’s absolutely true! He is working all things together for our good. While it’s perfectly true, it doesn’t really feel helpful when you are in the middle of your trauma. At least not yet, it will eventually. It’s hard to see it when you are in shock, in denial, or moody and can’t even make sense of all your emotions. It’s hard to see it when you’re having anxiety attacks, or you feel numb. It’s hard to see it when you know that you did nothing wrong and you still feel guilty!

Today we’re talking about 3 Ways to Seek Healing from Trauma.

Back in the day many of us were just told to get over it, or just forget about it. Throw some dirt on it! The problem is that you don’t just get over trauma, not really. Trauma has to be healed, and that healing can take some time. Let’s look in some scriptures today and see if we can find some help.

3 Types of Trauma…Acute, Chronic, and Complex

Acute Trauma…is a response from a one time traumatic event. Maybe it was a car accident. Maybe, you survived a tornado or an natural disaster of some sort. Maybe, when you were in college you had a little too much to drink and you were date raped. It’s a one time event. (Worked a car accident)

Chronic Trauma…is a long-term response from prolonged or repeated events. Maybe, you were bullied growing up. Maybe, you’ve had to deal with racism growing up. Maybe, you’ve been dealing with a porn addiction. Maybe, you grew up in the home of an abusive alcoholic. Maybe, you have been sexually abused. Again, these are more than one event. They are ongoing.

Complex Trauma…is a response to multiple or ongoing events. You could be raised in a home with a combination of abuses. It is some combination of all that we’ve talked about.

This list obviously isn’t exhaustive. This just cover a few bases for a foundation of this topic.

Trauma changes people. It changes the way they see people. It changes their view of God. It can change their outlook on life.

How Do We Heal?

Most of us have probably not given it much thought, but what about the Apostle Paul? He wrote 2/3 of the N.T.. He was the to live is Christ, but to die is gain guy! He experienced trauma!! Acute, Chronic, and Complex trauma. Even Paul’s conversion was traumatic. He was travelling from city to city killing Christians. He was knocked down by light, probably lightning. He heard an audible voice from heaven and was blinded for 3 days. God healed him and he became a Christian Preacher.

Paul for the rest of his life would go from city to city being persecuted and run out.

A Few Places Paul Faced Traumatic Events...

Damascus (Acts 9:23-25)

Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:50-51)

Iconium (Acts 14:2, 5-6)

Lystra (Acts 14:19)

Thessalonica (Acts 17:5-9)

Berea (Acts 17:13-14)

Corinth (Acts 18:12-17)

Jerusalem (Acts 21:27-36)

Paul endured ongoing, severe trauma! How do we heal?

We Process the Pain of Our Trauma!

We don’t heal when we try to ignore the pain, suppress the pain, or just try and forget the pain. We can’t fully heal until we acknowledge our pain. Acknowledge that you were abused, raped, or abandoned. Call it what it is and begin the process of healing. We don’t want to talk about it because it makes us vulnerable and feels helpless.

Instead of Seeking Connection, We Prioritize Protection

The problem is that we don’t heal in isolation. We find healing in community. That’s why church can be so instrumental in healing. It’s why small groups are so important. It’s why all of the recovery ministries in this church are so important. Drugs, sex, and alcohol won’t help you heal, it’s only a mask that will eventually fail you.

Paul actually processed his pain...

2 Corinthians 11:23–28 NKJV

Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.

Highlights...

Prison too many times to count 5 X

Received 39 lashes 3X

Beaten rods

Stoned

Shipwrecked

Almost starved

Froze

Danger

2 Corinthians 1:8 NKJV

For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.

Paul is testifying and encouraging the rest of the saints, but he’s also talking about and processing his hurts. We find trusted friends, your pastors, or a Christian Counselor to sit down and talk with. We need a trusted community to help us find our healing.

We Prayerfully Press Into God With Our Trauma

2 Corinthians 12:8 NKJV

Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.

Paul had a thorn! It’s difficult to know exactly what this thorn was. Theologians have ideas, it doesn’t really matter. Whatever it was, it was big enough for Paul to pray about it. We all have thorns. Maybe disease, maybe chronic pain, maybe it’s people.

Paul didn’t blame God, he prayed to God to remove it. 3 intense prayer sessions.

You can come to God with your hard questions, your doubts, and your fears. He’s big enough. You can tell Him it shouldn’t have happened and that it wasn’t your fault. You can tell Him that you don’t know what to do, and you don’t even know how to start healing. God is big, God cares, and He can handle it. He say’s cast your cares on Him for He cares for you!

2 Corinthians 12:9–10 NKJV

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Nothing Can Change Your Past, But God Can Heal Your Heart.

Psalm 34:18 NKJV

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

We process the pain of our trauma with trusted people, and we prayerfully press into God with our trauma.

We Pursue Purpose In Our Trauma

You may not be at this point right now, and you may not want to hear that right now. That day will come, I promise. When you get there you may say something like Paul...

2 Corinthians 1:3–4 NKJV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

We want you to know that we are not just pastors, we are people just like you. We’ve been hurt just like you. We understand, and we’re here for you. We want you to know that it’s okay to not be okay.

You see, I can say to you that I have been hurt, that I didn’t know what to do, and I didn’t know how to begin healing. But, with the strength that Christ gives me, and my people that our trusted and love me I have found healing. I have learned to process my hurts, and find God’s purpose in my hurts.

The good news is that you won’t just be healed, you’ll be stronger on the other side of this. You will find purpose through this!

Romans 8:28 NKJV

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Your trauma may not have been your fault, but pursuing God for healing is your responsibility!

Don’t get over it, HEAL from it!!!