INSIDE OUT by Dr. Shah and Nicole Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson, NC
Introduction: In our last series titled “Death Dethroned,” I made a statement that “Suffering can be sanctifying,” and I had a lot of people come to me afterwards and tell me how much they appreciated hearing that. They had gone through things in their lives, and some were still going through things in their lives that were painful and confounding but hearing that God was not absent from our suffering was a great relief to them! Knowing that God was working through our suffering to bring something good in our lives and even conforming us more and more to the person of Jesus Christ was such an eye opener and the first step to healing. Those remarks have led us to do this next series titled “INSIDE OUT” for which I’ve asked Nicole to join me since she is doing her masters in the field of Christian counselling and marriage and family relationships. The goal of this series is to help us deal with the sufferings that we have all faced in our lives by inviting God to work in us from the inside out, healing us, and using our pain for an eternal purpose through his Son Jesus Christ. We don’t want to minimize suffering, nor do we want to maximize suffering. Some people try to downplay our hurts and pains. Others make a victim out of everybody. Both extremes are unhealthy and unbiblical.
2 Corinthians 4 16 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”
Context: When it comes to sufferings in life, the buzz word over the past few years has been “trauma.” It seems that everyone has been “traumatized” and needs therapy. Sometimes the younger generation thinks that stress and trauma are the same things, and they are not. Stress is our body’s response to pressure (job loss, exams, deadlines, finances, etc.). Trauma can cause stress in our lives, but stress will not always lead to trauma. It’s important to know the distinction between the two. It is also important to point out that our Gen Zs (2001-2015) have faced more crises than any previous generations (9/11, ISIS, mass shootings, pandemic, riots, recession, to name a few). These things are very stressful and have become traumatic for some. We don’t want to minimize that. The impact from these things will be with us for a while. Our goal in this series is to help you as parents and individuals to understand what’s happening, get professional help where needed, but approach this matter from a solid biblical perspective. Nicole – would you take the next few minutes and give us the definition of trauma and maybe even the history of the study of trauma, so we know what is what.
1. Definition and History of the study of Trauma (Nicole):
Trauma is a Greek word meaning “wound.” As a noun, it appears in the New Testament story of the Good Samaritan. The Good Samaritan poured the oil and wine into the Samaritan’s trauma or wound. I want to distinguish between “trauma” and “traumatic events.” Trauma is a wound that results from an experience, witnessing an event, and hearing about a traumatic event. A traumatic event is a situation of “acute danger” in which an individual is powerless to resist. (Tackling Trauma, Ida Glasser) These could be natural disasters of all kinds (fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, etc.), violence (war, domestic violence, mass shootings, etc.), abuse of any kind (verbal, emotional, physical or sexual) even neglect, serious accidents where a loved one is either hurt or killed, and even life-threatening illnesses. Trauma is an emotional response to stressful events, which I have already listed above. Trauma responses are personal, which means it’s from a person’s own perspective. That’s why some people are able to walk away from a traumatic event unscathed and others cannot. Trauma responses are the mind and body’s attempt to be resilient in horrible situations, whether it be natural or man-made. We need to remember that trauma responses are not a sign of weakness or failure of any one individual. Rather trauma responses are resilience and adaptation of a person’s mind and body in the face of impossible circumstances (from Dawn of Sunday).
In the medical field, trauma first comes on the scene in the 1860’s when Dr. John Erichsen, who was a surgeon and professor at University College in London wrote a book on injuries that were sustained by workers in the railway system. He wrote about railway accidents that caused “mental shock” in patients. In 1877, Jean Martin Charcot wrote about “traumatic hysteria,” and 1888, Herman Oppenheim wrote about traumatic neuroses. Meanwhile in the US, during the Civil War, soldiers were experiencing all of these things that at that time in history there was no name for. The subject reemerged in the early 1900’s during WWI due to doctors and psychologists working with soldiers suffering from “shell shock.” This terminology continued through WWII until the Vietnam War, where Post Traumatic Stress Disorder became an official diagnosis in 1980. (Tackling Trauma, Samuel Theilman).
Transition: All that is just the definition and the history of the trauma, but the one thing that the world with all its knowledge and expertise is unable to explain is where does it originate.
2. Origin and Theology behind Trauma (Abidan):
Although, the word trauma is not mentioned in the Bible, we see trauma happen within the first 4 chapters of Genesis. The first of which is the results of the sin of Adam and Eve. To realize that they were naked and to feel shame about it was traumatic. To be cast out of their home, the Garden of Eden was traumatic, and trying to live in an unfamiliar world that has been distorted by sin had to be traumatic. The ultimate trauma for Adam and Eve in these first few chapters of Genesis was one of their sons, Cain, killing his brother Abel over a sacrifice. That’s not where trauma ends: Abraham and Sarah’s unholy pact, fight between Jacob and Esau, Laban and his deception of Jacob, Joseph and his brothers, Judah and Tamar, and all this is just in Genesis. There is so much more in the remaining Old Testament and even the New. In fact, the Bible is simply a history, promise, and fulfillment of God’s plan to save humanity from the trauma of evil and sin.
The place to begin is by understanding that the same Enemy who led to the sin of Adam and Eve and then the murder between two brothers is also the Enemy we are all facing to this day. 1 Peter 5 8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” Diane Langberg in her book Suffering and the Heart of God says 3 things about the Enemy:
- He is the author and father of sin.
- He is the father of lies.
Revelation 12:9 “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
- His power emanates from an implacable malice, his cruelty is insatiable, and he is relentless to pursue.
This should cause is to approach this subject with fear and trembling, with humility and repentance, and remember that the Enemy’s evil work doesn’t make sense.
Something else, as Diane Langberg points out, we need to understand that Sin and Evil are connected:
- “…evil is not just something we do; it is something we are. Sin is not merely wrongdoing; it is wrong being.”
- “…sin or evil is opposite to man’s good. It has defaced the image of God in us.”
- “…sin is poison. It contaminates; it spreads, it seems to change shape and easily delude us so that we pick up that which is evil and call it good.”
G. K. Chesterton said it best when asked what is wrong with the world, “I am.”
This is in a nutshell the cause of pain and suffering in this world. Unfortunately, it impacts us, sometimes even leading to trauma and being traumatized.
3. Impact of Trauma on us (Nicole):
First, let me address this idea that is prevalent in our world today: the idea of being traumatized. Just because you have experienced a trauma does not mean that you are traumatized. I can say with 99.9% certainty that everyone has experienced a trauma at least once in our lives. For example, when I was a child, I was bullied for several years. It did affect me socially, but I am the person I am today because of that experience. I have experienced several natural disasters in my life, hurricanes and tornadoes, but I am not terrified of storms. In fact, one of my favorite memories of my dad is every time there was a storm, he would take me out on our front porch and sit with me and say, “Let’s watch God’s power.” I also lost my dad to cancer when he was only 55 years old. It was a very brief battle. I did struggle with disappointment with God, and I questioned him about why he did not heal my dad. I even quit praying for several months, but I would not say that I am traumatized by it.
Trauma goes much deeper. There’s even a neuroscience of trauma – In order to understand how trauma affects our brains, we need to look at the brain. There is the brainstem, the limbic area, and the cortex. The brainstem controls our breathing, sleep, temperature regulation. These are all things that are needed for our survival. The limbic system houses the amygdala and the hippocampus. The amygdala helps keep our emotions, memories and survival instincts regulated. The hippocampus is the connector of the upper and lower parts of the brain, helps us express emotions, and is integral in our memory function. The cortex is in the upper part of the brain and develops last. It gives us the ability to stop, think, reflect, concentrate, and to problem solve. The prefrontal cortex is here and works alongside the amygdala to balance our emotions and behaviors. In the event of a trauma, the hippocampus releases cortisol, a hormone that helps to regulate our response to stressors. Our bodies may get stuck in a response to any stimuli related to the traumatic event. This is our fight, flight, or freeze responses. Memories of the traumatic event can resurface at any time in our dreams or in flashbacks. All of this can cause our mind and body to be in a constant state of alertness.
There are several responses to trauma that we experience.
Shattered beliefs about self. Depending on the trauma that is suffered, we may no longer believe anything good about ourselves. When this happens, we tend to isolate ourselves from others: spouses, family, and friends.
Shattered beliefs about others. we may see others as the enemy because life is no longer safe. We may struggle with trusting others be they God, family, or friends. This belief can be isolating.
Shattered beliefs about the future. We may also not see anything for our future because we cannot move past the present struggle.
Abidan – Sufferings are part of life, but trauma goes much beyond. Also, how one handles trauma also determines whether you will be traumatized or not. It is far more complex and uncertain than someone on TikTok advising you to go get therapy because, according to them, you are traumatized.
4. Answer to Suffering (Abidan):
If you want to know about suffering, read Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 1 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort…” Paul begins the letter, not with his typical thanksgiving but with a blessing to God “for what God has accomplished for and through him” (Garland, 2 Corinthians). This idea is found in “the tension between affliction and suffering (Greek thlipsis and pathema…) and cognates of the noun paraaklesis… ‘encouragement,’ ‘comfort,’ or ‘consolation’” (Clark, “Toward a pastoral reading of 2 Corinthians as a memoir of PTSD and healing”). In other words, Paul was being given the encouragement that he needed as he was going through the sufferings of life, not taken out of it. 4 “who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Personal Illustration: My own back pain and surgery because of a tumor. Thank God that it was benign. With my experience I was able to tell someone else that I truly understand what they were going through.
5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. 6 Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. 7 And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.”
2 Corinthians 4 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
2 Corinthians 4 16 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”
Also, see 2 Corinthians 6:4-10; 11:21-33.
2 Corinthians 12 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Personal Illustration: Story of having to carry my mom’s body out on a stretcher from the hospital. Then, I had to ride in the ambulance with her body, trying to put the sheets back on her, and holding her down, and finally, carrying her into my sister’s apartment. It was very tough. But, instead of being angry with God, I saw the reality and ugliness of death, and I knew then why Jesus came. He came to rescue us from the power of the grave and bring us eternal life forever.
Question: Do you understand the role of Evil, the Enemy, and Sin behind all the suffering and trauma in this life? Do you understand why Jesus came to die for us? Do you understand how he wants to work in you and through you to bring redemption and healing to many?
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