What Is Trauma?
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines trauma as ‘an emotional upset.’ We all have experienced a form of trauma. We have all asked the question that has the same nuance of ‘When is this going to end?’ ‘Why me?’ and ‘I feel hopeless. How do I make it stop?’ The test that we face as a person of God is finding hope outside of the trauma. To find hope outside of the trauma is to find a peace that can only come from God, who is working within the trauma.
Trauma has many levels of severity. Jesus promised us hardships and unexplainable traumas in our life. John 16:33 says, ‘I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.’ Jesus does make us whole and gives us peace. But, there is a caveat that Jesus has to wash away all of the pain in the world. We have to make him Lord of our heart. We need to accept his Gospel message, and we need to allow Him to heal us of those pains. Some stuff is more natural to let go of than others. It seems that trauma latches on to us harder when it is more severe. We experience trauma every day. Maybe not severe trauma, perhaps not even noticeable trauma. But, the Word of God does tell us that we will experience trials and sorrow every day.
Trauma ranges on a spectrum from minuscule to severe. While some things seem pointless, who are we to decide what is considered traumatic in life? Trauma is relative to the person that is experiencing the pain. Because trauma is relative to a person’s experience, how does a follower of Christ deal with trauma in a healthy manner that allows us to live a joyful and hopeful life?
Trauma cuts like a blade. We notice all cuts at some point. You may not notice for a couple of hours or sometimes even days, but we see some instantly. But, the fact of the matter is that at some point, we notice all cuts because they sting if you move wrong. A papercut when you squeeze a lemon, a cut from a knife if you barely touch it, or a gouge from a stick; they all sting, and they all hurt. The difference between the two is how we deal with them and how we treat them. Most of the time, when you get a paper cut, you leave it alone and avoid all citric foods. In time, it heals, and there is no scar in sight. If you cut yourself with a knife, you are most likely running your finger under the sink, grabbing the Neosporin and a bandaid. You will deal with this wound for a couple of days until it heals back. But, if you let this wound run its course without giving it attention, it will leave a scar. If something gouges you, you will do one of two things; you are going to apply pressure instantly, give a lot of attention to make sure you don’t bleed out. I guarantee that you clean every single cut, and some form of antibiotics are used on it to make sure it doesn’t get infected. Just like these cuts that we have all gotten, we get trauma, and we have to deal with it. Similarly, we use antibiotics to heal a cut; we have to lean on the Lord to receive healing from trauma.
Why do we go through trauma? The human condition is a simple answer that gives a comprehensive overview. The human condition is something that started thousands of years ago. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the Garden of Eden, the trauma caused by the human condition began. There is a saying that originated years ago, and it’s prevalent and genuine. ‘Hurt people hurt people.’ The world is broken and filled with hurt people. These hurt people intentionally or non-intentionally cause trauma in someone’s life. We don’t realize the consequences of the human condition, causing these issues never to find closure. Never finding closure multiplies the trauma and will create an infection in our spirit. The disease causes us to disconnect with God and the world. It causes even more of a disconnect to avoid dealing with acute trauma, turning it into an unavoidable ordeal.
Answering the cuts of trauma each day is how we beat the human condition. Romans 5:3–4 says, ‘Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] [c]joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation.’ Isn’t that the goal? Isn’t life itself about living a lifestyle that has the habit of joy and hope? I want to discuss how we, as a follower of Christ, can obtain this joy and hope in a practical sense.
