Mental,
emotional and physical pain and stress, loss and grief, and wounded individuals
put us at risk for reaping negative results in life. In addition, unresolved
childhood trauma increases the effects of our current distress. (
www.theophostic.com )
With
repeated trauma, we can even develop various degrees of Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder, and we view the world as a painful, alarming, treacherous place.
Separation
through death, divorce, rejection, abandonment, etc. will affect our future
relationships. We lose our sense of safety and security and may even live in
continual fear and insecurity.
Our
breathing is shallow, which affect our lungs, diaphragm and heart. Stomach,
heart, lung and nerve issues cause us problems. Our mind can even affect us
with physical symptoms, which have no physical source.
On
guard in every situation, we are in a constant state of "fight or
flight". This makes us combative and easily angered when we feel
vulnerable and helpless.
A
lack of trust causes us to build thick walls around our soul. Then we feel
lonely, disheartened, hopeless and overwhelmed. We may even blame our self for
what happens to us.
Attempting
to prepare our self for the unexpected, we delve into worse case scenarios to prepare
our self for any contingency; yet, we only provide our self with a false sense
of power and protection from future trauma.
When
events in our life are going well, we tend to rely less on God and more on our self.
We have the idea that we deserve God's love and blessings, because we are so
good.
However,
with this attitude, we will never feel totally secure in life. We will live in
constant anxiety, because we fear that if we fail in some area, we will lose
His love and be lost for eternity.
The
opposite is actually true. God loved us while we were still sinners, is our everlasting Savior and
continues to love us unconditionally (Romans 5:8; 1 John 1:9). He is the same
yesterday, today and for eternity (Hebrews 13:8).
Prayer:
Father
God, thank You for allowing us to fail and to learn from our mistakes, to
suffer trails for Your glory so that people can see our love for and trust in
You regardless of our earthly status. Teach us to rely totally on You and not
to pursue the world or the flesh.
Remind
us to stop depending on our self and to begin to depend solely on You for every
step we take (Proverbs 3:5-6). Help us to do only the works, which You ordained
for us to achieve, rather than asking You to bless our works (Ephesians 2:10).
Thought
for the Day:
When
we rely on God's Holy Spirit for direction and strength, we listen to God's Spirit,
step out in faith, and find all the resources we need to accomplish all that God
ordained us to do.
-
Philippians 2:12-13, 4:13; Matthew 7:7-8