Some difficulties are so intense they traumatize us and impair our mental, emotional, and social health.
There is no shame in this.
Just as sin makes our skin susceptible to the damage caused by too much sun, it also makes our neural system vulnerable to the damage caused by too much stress.
Traumatic stress may require us to go through an extensive healing process before we stabilize.
This restoration may require outside assistance, from pastoral care and support groups to professional counseling and prescription drugs.
We should not be apprehensive about taking advantage of these resources. God has provided them for our benefit. They are part of his aid package.
However, as with many physical infirmities, we may have to live with the residue of traumatic stress until we enter heaven.
But like other afflictions, these aftereffects do not diminish our merit in God’s eyes.
They simply affirm our humanity.
