Trauma and Forgiveness

In a previous blog post, I mentioned the importance of dealing with past traumas.  If trauma is left undealt with, it can continue to cause problems in your life.   

 What is trauma?   

 *Merriam-Webster's online dictionary says that trauma is the Greek word for "wound". Wounds come in all shapes and sizes. They range from perhaps a derogatory name you were called when you were a child, to the loss of a parent, to being molested by a trusted family member.  

 So how do you deal with that trauma and find healing?  

 The answer is very simple . . . forgiveness.   

 How does forgiveness help you find freedom from trauma in your life? Forgiveness is about you, not the other person. Forgiveness helps you let go of past hurt by allowing you to move forward and look to your future.  

 Forgiveness for the perpetrator whether intentional or unintentional can release trauma and the endless repetition of unhealthy patterns trauma can cause in your life.  

 Here is an example of finding forgiveness in my own life: 

When I was nine my dad (who meant the world to me) passed away. He died suddenly of a massive heart attack. This was just months after the doctor told him he would live to be 100, and he was only 51 when he passed. At nine-year-olds, I felt utterly abandoned. Was I intentionally abandoned? No. But, as I grew up this belief translated into believing in a God who loved me, but I didn't believe He would be there for me . . . I was alone and there was no one to protect me.  

So, what could I possibly need to forgive my Dad for when he didn't choose to die or leave me? I had to forgive him as my nine-year-old self, who didn't understand the science or understand that everyone died at some point in life, she just knew her dad had left, abruptly, he was there one day and gone the next.   

 Oh, and one more essential part of the key of forgiveness . . . forgiving self.    

So, why would a nine-year-old need to forgive herself for her dad dying unexpectedly? Because of other reasons I won't go into now, I believed it was my fault he died, that I was such a bad person that God took him so that I would learn how to be a good person. So, this nine-year-old had to forgive herself for believing a lie, for believing I was the cause of his death, and for believing I was a bad person . . . all at nine-years-old.  

There's more that goes into this process of forgiveness, but I can speak this way because I've experienced what I'm writing about first hand.  

So, ask yourself, are you feeling stuck and emotionally overwhelmed? Then you likely have unforgiveness in your life. Before you ask how I know this, ask yourself if you feel tormented in any area of your life. Then, ask where it comes from.  You angry with someone? Have you been hurt by someone? Are you angry with yourself?  

It's time to heal, it's time to forgive!  

Don't let your past hold you, hostage, forgive, and find freedom.  

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