Trauma

 Psalm 139:13-16 says,” For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.” God knows us better than we even know ourselves because He made us. He knows our bodies and how they function because He made them.

           When we experience trauma, it changes how our brains function, and it rewires our nervous system. This is why trauma causes such lasting and debilitating symptoms. Depression, anxiety, PTSD, C-PTSD, dissociative disorders, and so many other mental health issues can be triggered by trauma.  These things cannot just be switched off or easily fixed, and struggling with mental health issues does not mean that you are a bad Christian. What it does mean is that you need healing. Can God heal you instantly? Absolutely! God can do anything, but healing usually takes a lot of work on your part and progresses slowly. God knows this because God made us. He isn’t sitting up in Heaven on His throne judging us because of our mental health struggles. He isn’t waiting to zap us with a lightning bolt because we are having an anxiety attack. What He is doing is whispering, “Come to Me, child, and I will help you through this.” Mental health struggles are hard! Thankfully, we have a loving God Who understands and Who will help us through them. I have also found that, through my mental health healing journey, I have learned so much and been able to interact with and help others who are going through similar situations. This wouldn’t have happened without the healing journey. And that is the beauty in the ashes of it.

“To console those who mourn in Zion. To give them beauty for ashes. The oil of joy for mourning. The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.”