Many non-believers have their reasons why they don’t believe in the Bible, but unbelief isn’t just a problem for non-Christians. A lot of self-proclaimed Christians have a problem believing too, but most likely for different reasons. Trauma is one of the biggest roadblocks to faith, and the struggle is real for those who want to believe but cannot wrap their minds around the fact that they are dearly loved by God. According to The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, if a child’s first relationships with the most important figures in his life (i.e., his parents) have been unstable and abusive, the child will later have insecure attachment issues as he struggles with friendships, romance and authority figures. Each year, approximately 691 per 100,000 children are treated in emergency departments; 74 per 100,000 are treated in a hospital, and 9 per 100,000 abuse cases result in death (Thurman, 2016).
With so many cases of childhood trauma happening every single day, is it any wonder that this world is suffering and unable to understand God’s love? Parents who abuse their children were likely abused by their own parents, and the vicious cycle continues until someone decides to break the cycle and therefore break the chain in his or her own family.
“If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:31
More than Conquerors – one of the most oft quoted subtitles and the least understood by those suffering from emotional and physical pain – how does this make you feel when you hear it or read it? Do you feel “more than a conqueror” in God’s eyes? Even if you don’t feel it, it does not mean that you are not. But this is a cognitive assent (a.k.a. “positive thought”) that you must cling to in spite of your emotions. This is way more than just a positive thought. It’s actual truth, and it’s what God’s Word says about you.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
Believing the truth in the gospels and letting God’s promises sink deeply into your heart and mind are not an easy task, I know. However, practice makes perfect. We build ourselves up or tear ourselves down with our own thoughts. Nothing in all creation can stop God from loving you; keep up the good fight of the faith or at least make the effort, because Jesus is God’s proof that you are worth it.
#PTSDAwareness #StopChildAbuse #SpreadGodsLove #GodIsForYou #Musings4Life #BreakTheChain #FightTheGoodFight #YouAreWorthIt
Journal Reference:
David J. Thurman, MD, MPH. The Epidemiology of Traumatic Brain Injury in Children and Youths: A Review of Research Since 1990. Journal of Child Neurology, 2016; 31 (1) 20-27
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