Responding to Trauma
by Gardner Hall
Three responses to trauma:
Repress It
“I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse” (Psalms 39:2).
The world is full of tragedy and suffering. Many are traumatized by the rejection of selfish spouses, parents, children, or brethren in their congregations.
To refuse to acknowledge trauma in our lives can reflect arrogance—“I can handle this all by myself. I don’t need God or my brethren.”
Become a Victim
To identify ourselves primarily as victims isn't healthy, nor to wallow in victimhood. Such produces the bitter, chip-on-the-shoulder, angry Christians who identify themselves with their trauma more than their faith. They can’t enjoy the spiritual blessings in Christ (Ephesians 1:3) or the peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:8) because they are dominated by self-pity or by anger at those they perceive as oppressors.
Turn It Over to God
Turn it over to God—though He doesn’t miraculously take away our trauma or its memories, His word and His people give us the hope and encouragement to persevere through it. Perhaps the most documented example we have of consignment of trauma to God would be the Psalms of Lament of David. He “cast his anxieties on God” (I Peter 5:7).
Romans 8 sums up the proper approach, “the sweet spot,” as to how we should see ourselves in an evil world.
- “We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered” (Romans 8:36). Yes, many will look down on us.
- “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).
Though seeming to be “sheep to be slaughtered,” we are “more than conquerors through Him that loved us.” Let’s live and act like conquerors, not victims.
