Broken and Beautiful

Hurting Stock Photos and Images – 123RF

Today I reflect on those days when I ugly cried. Like snot nosed, alligator tears, face all puffy and red, can’t breathe, UGLY cried. With. No. Warning. Just a trigger that pulled me back into a broken perspective. I remember longing for apathy, to get to a place where that person, that thing, that trauma would no longer effect me, or the lens in which I viewed My Father, the World, or people. That I would be able to move forward without the wounds from my past. The problem is though, that this same apathy we long for will hold us captive. We become slaves to our own trauma, our own fears, and our inability to overcome them.

Trauma comes in so many forms; abuse, neglect, abandonment, rejection, fear, disappointments, loss, grief, instability. It can literally come at you from any angle and can stem throughout a lifetime in different ways. It’s poisonous, and it shapes our perception of the world around us. It changes how we give and receive love. It thwarts our perception of the good around us, and it keeps us bound to invisible chains that hold us back from freedom. Trauma is a silent prison where accusation and fear are the prison guards to our joy and hope.

For some, solace is found in hobbies, for others it’s found in relationships, for me, it’s found in staying busy. All of these things allow us to focus our attention on anything other than the hurt that we’ve buried deep within our hearts. And yet, it is that hurt that will keep us from pursuing peace and embracing that which is good for us and which will lead us into healing. Pure irony- at its worst. We begin to manifest our greatest fears from trauma in the name of protecting ourselves from it. Fear becomes our focus instead of love becoming our safe place.

This post today serves as an invitation to expose your trauma for what it is. A lie sent to distract you from your purpose. The Word tells us that “Greater is He that is In Me that He that is in this world. ” (John 4:4). It tells me that “God is the author and finisher of my faith.” (Hebrews 12:2) It tells me that God is close to those who are broken hearted and crushed in Spirit (Psalms 34:18). It reminds that that “it is no longer I that lives, but Christ that lives within me. ” (Galatians 2:20). Reminding me that that “the enemy (the devil) is roaring around like a lion, seeking whom he may devour.”(1 Peter 5), but that “I can take heart knowing that Christ has overcome the world, and He defeated hell, sin, and the grave. “

The Word of God also speaks of the vindication of God. As believers, we should know and trust that our Father fights for us. He goes before us, and defends us. Nothing, no height, no depth, no creature can separate us from His love towards us (Romans 8: 39). He guards those who are His. We can be sure that He has a plan and a purpose for each of us. (Jeremiah 29:11), and that His purposes will come to pass (Romans 9:10-13).

Trauma only has power, when we bury it deep within our soul-man, and deception takes root in the core of who we are. And, It is only through Christ that those roots can be removed and we can become trees planted by the waters of life. Christ has become unto us wisdom, righteousness, holiness, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30). Therefore, It is only through His love for us that our trauma can be healed and turned into testimony. We must always hold fast to the knowledge that Christ died so that we can have life and live it abundantly (John 10:10). He died so that we can live; free of condemnation, freely forgiving others, and so that we can show people how to be led by love instead of being focused on fear. So my friends. Yield to His love. His Kindness towards. Yield to the exposure of His light to your darkness, and allow him to wash you clean, restore your brokenness, and heal your heart.

Peace to each of you,

B