Some difficulties are so intense that 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 excessive sun exposure, it also makes our nervous system vulnerable to the damage caused by excessive stress.
Traumatic stress may require us to go through an extensive healing process before we stabilize.
This restoration may require outside assistance, ranging from pastoral care and support groups to professional counseling and prescription drugs.
We should not be apprehensive about utilizing 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 value or usefulness in God’s eyes.
They merely affirm the truth about the fall of humanity.
