Spiritual Training Cycle: Connection (wk. 13/13)
My first session of physical therapy happened at 11 years old from a baseball injury. At this age, a few pitchers had some ball control. One player on our team knew how to throw a fastball, a changeup, and a curveball. I had a fastball and a faster fastball. For a few games I hadn’t been allowed to pitch, but I was finally given a chance to get back up on the pitcher’s mound. Needless to say, I could barely contain my excitement during warmup. I was bringing the heat. I made it to the second inning before I tore the rotator cuff in my arm and could barely lift it a few inches off my side.
I had to go to physical therapy.
In the earliest sessions of physical therapy, the most critical component is being hyper aware of your injuries and how you experience pain. The physical therapists took great care when moving my arm through ranges of motion, knowing that it would cause me acute and extreme pain if they pushed it too far. Physical therapists are experts in gentleness in order to navigate pain. God knows our pain too. He is an expert in gentleness in order to begin the process of healing.
God chooses to be gentle because He knows it will help heal us of our pain.
In various forms of physical therapy, clinical psychotherapy, and coaching there is a concept of being “trauma-informed.” In trauma informed therapy, the supporting clinician prioritizes understanding, safety, and empowerment to the effects of trauma. But much like physical therapy, there is still a component of strengthening exercises and movement. The extent of the injuries determine the required pace at which those exercises are applied.
In our faith, we can have deep spiritual injuries. These injuries can have acute pain and be a result of spiritual abuse. Spiritual abuse is often at the hands of religious leaders who distort doctrine for manipulation, control, isolation, shaming, and justifying their own harmful behaviors. It is important to know that God sees the injuries that result from spiritual abuse. God applies the utmost gentleness to those wounds because
God is the ultimate trauma informed therapist.
God sent us Jesus in order to prioritize understanding, safety, and empowerment to the injuries we have. Jesus is both the supporting clinician and the treatment to our injury. In the Bible we have so many clues as to how this is done. Understanding our pain: in Isaiah 53:1
“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering… surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows.”
Creating safety in Matthew 11:28
“Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Then finally, He empowers us: Matthew 11:29-30
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
In all of this, we see Jesus creates a recovery plan. He doesn’t dismiss the pain we feel. He deeply understands the wounds and experiences them alongside us. He creates safety and invites us to Him to begin the healing process. Jesus has exercises for us! Jesus will carry much of the weight when we are still early in recovery, but we are still required to participate! Jesus’ “yoke” is “easy” and “light” because He is willing to carry the weight with us.
It can be easy to forget that God understands our injuries and is gentle with them. The nature of our injuries might make us feel isolated and ashamed. But through Jesus, God sends us an understanding healer. It is in God’s nature to be gentle, because He knows our injuries require gentleness. Healing starts with God’s gentleness.
Questions for Reflection:
In what ways have you experienced injuries that you need to invite God’s gentleness to begin healing?
In what ways have you witnessed Jesus’ healing in your life?