Survivor’s Story: Triumph Over Trauma

When we experience trauma, or even a turning point in our life, time and circumstance intersect, allowing the pace of our thoughts to slow and bring to the surface some of what the Father has planted in our hearts. We ponder purpose and destiny in the grand landscape of a universe that’s ever-expanding and a God whose imagination conceives it.

As masterful as He is, we don’t fully comprehend through the frame of our finite experiences. Still, we question why God allows certain events to happen. We dig even deeper, inquiring why He has permitted certain occurrences in our lives.

It doesn’t take much to see that we live in a fallen and imperfect world. Some of what we encounter is attributed to the spiritual opposition that actively plays out in the natural realm. There is much more that the enemy desires to leverage against us that is hidden from our senses.

Not only can we trace the examples in Scripture, but we can also mine the encouragement that advises us on how to endure. This is not as a victim, but rather one who embraces our God-given ability to overcome, thrive, and experience God’s original design for our destiny.

The devil is still defeated, and we never have to succumb to the lie that he’s won by surrendering our lives over to the trauma that arrested us. Healing is a process. We may occasionally find ourselves still grieving parts of our lives and who we knew ourselves before the trauma.

For those of us who grew up in environments where trauma was the standard, we may also be mourning the normal we never knew. Regardless of where our internal person is in the process, we can embrace today’s grace to go through transformation.

Receive grace for trauma.

Our first bold step may be simply receiving. That can be difficult to process, as we have become accustomed to the nature of trauma, which is to take. Like our enemy, the experience and the lingering effects seek to steal, kill, and eventually destroy (John 10:10). The comfort of the Lord’s abiding Presence and the Holy Spirit’s promised assistance remains available to those who have accepted Christ as Savior.

It directly counters the narrative we’ve lived, as our decision to follow Jesus connected us with the path to becoming who God originally intended. Despite the hiccups, hindrances, and hijacking the enemy has launched, partnering with the Holy Spirit to live our story with grace is the best move we can make toward seeing triumph over trauma.

Reset filters.

It may be hard to know who we can trust. Statistics reveal that most violent encounters occur with those familiar to us, in our circles, often deemed to be safe people. Our idea of safety has been compromised by experiencing harm where we should have been protected.

While it takes time and counseling support to work through this, we can learn to reset our filters. A trained therapist can support us with navigating how to establish healthy boundaries and putting safety measures in place to guard our physical person as well as our minds and hearts with God’s peace.

Re-establish trauma support networks.

We may have to learn or re-learn how to establish safe supportive networks in our lives. It helps to know in advance that action will encourage our interactions with some that we encounter or already know. In other cases, we may elect to limit in-depth or frequent contact with those who diminish the validity of our experience or whose presence serves to re-traumatize us.

As we seek the Holy Spirit’s counsel, He will provide spiritual discernment, enhancing awareness of where we need to spend time and with whom. He will also help us to be more cognizant of His Presence and the dispatch of angels who surround us to shield us, despite the potential of harm.

Next steps.

While each of the above steps may be useful in walking through parts of your journey, getting counsel may be the next one you take today. Search the resources on this site and contact a counselor to schedule an appointment.

Know that God’s kindness is present, leading you here and continuing to sustain you through your resilience. The Father has prepared a table to bless you, defying the enemies of shame and fear that would have obliterated you through trauma. Embrace that truth for yourself and go forward, in triumph over trauma.