It's been quite a painful week for my body!
First: After off and on foot pain after stepping wrong on my treadmill a while back, I went to the foot doctor because it started to hurt more again.
Second: Turns out, it had been healing but since it wasn't fully healed, it rebroke when I did too much walking recently.
Third: To follow doctor's orders, I was careful with my now known to be broken foot as I was gently walking with my dog while coming back from getting the mail from our mailbox yesterday. However, he suddenly a different direction than I was and tripped me. I slammed down to the ground (really hard!) on my knee, and bruised my other foot!
Fourth: This all jarred my already strained neck muscles from an injury last week.
Conclusion: If it weren't for the fact that I know this is not the norm in my life and that I have a great chiropractor, I may have just ordered a ton of bubble wrap off of Amazon and wrapped myself up in it to keep me safe and sound and resolved to never move or put myself out there to do anything physical again...because of the fear that this could be possible again.
That's what trauma is like. We have experiences that hurt, and we try to protect ourselves from ever putting ourselves at risk of that happening again.
Unfortunately, healing and really living and enjoying life can't take place if we let the pain and its effects affect us more than the healing experiences being able to shape our actions.
To heal my body, I need blood flow, rest, strengthening exercises, and therapeutic care for my bones and muscles.
To heal from mental and emotional traumas, we need safety, support, compassion, and new experiences.
So, hopefully, your body had an easier week than mine did, but if your mental and emotional wounds could use some care, you might want to listen to this week's podcast episode: Why can't I just get past this already? by clicking here.
It's not preventing ourselves from getting hurt in life that matters as much as knowing that we can get help and heal
when we've been wounded.
First: After off and on foot pain after stepping wrong on my treadmill a while back, I went to the foot doctor because it started to hurt more again.
Second: Turns out, it had been healing but since it wasn't fully healed, it rebroke when I did too much walking recently.
Third: To follow doctor's orders, I was careful with my now known to be broken foot as I was gently walking with my dog while coming back from getting the mail from our mailbox yesterday. However, he suddenly a different direction than I was and tripped me. I slammed down to the ground (really hard!) on my knee, and bruised my other foot!
Fourth: This all jarred my already strained neck muscles from an injury last week.
Conclusion: If it weren't for the fact that I know this is not the norm in my life and that I have a great chiropractor, I may have just ordered a ton of bubble wrap off of Amazon and wrapped myself up in it to keep me safe and sound and resolved to never move or put myself out there to do anything physical again...because of the fear that this could be possible again.
That's what trauma is like. We have experiences that hurt, and we try to protect ourselves from ever putting ourselves at risk of that happening again.
Unfortunately, healing and really living and enjoying life can't take place if we let the pain and its effects affect us more than the healing experiences being able to shape our actions.
To heal my body, I need blood flow, rest, strengthening exercises, and therapeutic care for my bones and muscles.
To heal from mental and emotional traumas, we need safety, support, compassion, and new experiences.
So, hopefully, your body had an easier week than mine did, but if your mental and emotional wounds could use some care, you might want to listen to this week's podcast episode: Why can't I just get past this already? by clicking here.
It's not preventing ourselves from getting hurt in life that matters as much as knowing that we can get help and heal
when we've been wounded.
This morning, I responded to a heartfelt email from a woman with a beautiful spirit but a broken heart. She’s a member of the Mental Health for Christian Women Membership Community, where she has access to regular personal email coaching from me. Her message was filled with questions about the nature of God in a world that often seems full of pain and suffering.
It became clear that the insights I shared with her might also resonate with you. While I won’t delve into the specifics of her situation, many of us grapple with understanding God’s role when faced with the harsh realities of life.
Here’s a summary of what I shared with her:
Understanding God Through the Lens of His Goodness
James 1:17 tells us, “Every good and perfect gift comes from God the Father.” When we question God’s nature and His protection amid suffering, it helps to remember that the best reflection of who He is can often be found within ourselves.
Consider the qualities in you that seek to protect, care, and love. The parts of you that hope for purity and strive to overcome pain—these are echoes of God’s nature. He is not the source of pain, destruction, or perversion. Instead, He is the one who comforts us and overcomes evil, both in this life and in Heaven.
God is constant—“the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). The evil we see in the world is not of Him, which is why it feels so foreign and distressing to us. God has made a way for us, defeating the enemy and ensuring that death has lost its sting (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).
In struggles, remember that “crying may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). God walks with us through our battles, providing comfort, direction, strength, and hope that will never be cut off. He is not passive; He is the peace that surpasses understanding and the power over evil (Phillipians 4:7).
You can see God’s heart in your own desire to protect innocence and fight for good. The doubts, guilt, shame, fear, and pain are not from Him. Rather, He is actively pushing back the darkness that seeks to overtake His children.
I hope this message brings you comfort and perspective, just as I hoped it would for my virtual coaching friend.
If you would like to join the membership community, and get personal coaching like this in your email box to help you with your questions and goals, you can learn more, and sign-up : Clck Here
Takeaways:
- Reflect God’s Nature: When you struggle to understand God, look at the good and caring qualities within yourself as reflections of His nature.
- Embrace God’s Goodness: Remember that every good thing comes from God. He is the source of all that is pure and loving.
- Separate Evil from God: Understand that pain, destruction, and perversion are not from God. He is here to free us from these effects.
- Find Comfort in His Constancy: God remains the same throughout time. His promises and His nature are steadfast.
- Hold onto Hope: Even in difficult times, trust that joy will come and that God is with you during your trials.
- Recognize His Work in You: Your desire to protect and fight for good is a sign of God working through you.
- Push Back Darkness: Know that God is actively involved in combating the darkness in your life and in the world.
If you missed this week's podcast on a related topic, “Overcoming Religious Abuse and Cult Trauma - An Interview with Guest Liza Lovett, Part 1 of 2,” you can listen to it here.
In His Love,
Michelle
Michelle
