February 23, 2014
Our suffering with God's presence in our lives creates personal growth and leads to our call
Romans 5: 3a-5: We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out His love in to our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom He has given us.
Matthew 5: 38-48: "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
When Jesus was talking about turning the other cheek and loving your enemies he was speaking in an occupied territory, a territory being oppressed by the Roman government. Roman soldiers, as any occupying force does, would arbitrarily ask someone to follow them for no other reason than to humiliate the person. Jesus' words were to clarify how an oppressed person could claim his spiritual and psychological power back. He was telling his followers that with God they could take the nonviolent path of showing the person he had no power, because his victim was going farther than the soldier asked. The victim became empowered to become the one with the perseverance to go beyond the humiliating command. The victim regained her spiritual power by turning her other cheek, surprising the soldier and disarming him, often even embarassing him. We can only imagine what Jesus' followers were feeling as Jesus expanded his nonviolent and loving path to their oppressors. You and I know that praying for our enemies is not humanly possible. But with God, all things are possible. Jesus calls us in this passage, to go beyond what is humanly possible. He is our model, actually praying for those who had just crucified him in the midst of his own unbearable pain and suffering. We have seen his model in Martin Luther King, Jr. and in Nelson Mandela, men who bore the pain of injustice, yet showed mercy and love for their oppressors, and becam spiritually and psychologically strong because of their suffering and their pain.
Paul's statement about rejoicing in our sufferings must also have shocked his followers in the heart of Rome, the seat of oppression. The followers of Jesus were suffering for their faith. Paul had been jailed, as had others. In spite of all these terrifying experiences Paul says,
Romans 5: 3a-5: We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out His love in to our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom He has given us.
And that is what I and my mission group are speaking about today: Post-Traumatic Growth and how our sufferings can energize us in our response to God's call in our lives. Our mission group is called the Interfaith Trauma Healing Mission Group. We are committed to being God's light to each other and to others who have been traumatized , recognizing that with support, companionship and accompaniment that we all will experience growth and will be called more fully in to God's direction for our lives.
We know the story of Paul and Silas, thrown in jail for their testimony for Jesus. And yet, their experiences of being jailed seemed to energize them to speak even more strongly for Jesus' message of hope and loving transformation of the lives of those to whom they spoke. Those of us in our mission group and those of us in this congregation who have experienced our own trauma, but have a sense of God's presence in our lives, have been transformed to being stronger and more empathetic people of those suffering in the world. We have experienced post-traumatic growth.
The psychological literature has researched a number of areas of post-traumatic growth with populations ranging from those having cancer, experiencing bereavement, experiencing war, and the holocaust. In every religion, the concept of growing stronger from suffering is described in different ways. In the book of Job, after all his suffering, losing all his family and all he owns, he actually sees God and hears from God about God's majesty, creativity and power. His perspective on what is important is changed forever. So it is clear from what Paul tells us, that suffering can strengthen us, gives us new perspectives on life, and gives us hope in what is possible with God's love and Spirit in us.
There are five areas of post-traumatic growth research which have been decribed in those who heal from trauma/suffering:
a. A realization that they are more vulnerable than they thought they were, but also much stronger than they thought they were.
Before we experience trauma or suffering, we do not recognize our vulnerability, the fragile nature of our lives. After trauma, we realize we are fragile, but because we have lived through the vulnerability, we can experience our strength, and our perseverance, as Paul calls it, in the midst of the recovery process. Our relationship with God in this process is a powerful one in experiencing spiritual as well as emotional and psychological strength.
b. A greater appreciation of life, and more empathy and understanding of others.
When we have faced death in the face, or have feared for our lives, or have suffered physical or emotional problems, we understand at a deeper level what others who are suffering are experiencing. Our empathy for others grows and we also cherish our lives, and each moment we are given. We love others more fully and we rejoice in the gift of life.
c. The ability to see what is important in life and set priorities.
When we are survivors of trauma, the important things in life come in to view. Material things, or other unimportant things fall away and we realize that the people in our lives are what are important. I remember feeling on such a deep level when my first husband died that all that was important was love. That was the key to what was left behind and what was eternal. That is what I realized I needed to put first in my life, loving God and loving others.
d. A deeper connection with their faith and spirituality.
Many people who have gone through trauma have realized that the only way they would get through it was by prayer and guidance from God each step of the way. Many have found God in and through the trauma. Many have felt led by God each step of the way. Job experienced this at such a deep level when he was given the awe inspiring gift of seeing God face to face.
e. A recognition of new possibilities in their lives: Our call from God
My call to Bethany came out of the trauma of the murders of two children in my Sunday School class by their father in a drug crazed state. I realized how important it was to establish safe places for parents recovering from addiction and their children. Many friends and people I know who have been in recovery from addiction have a call to give back to those in recovery and become Certified Alcohol Counselors or in other supportive roles. My husband Kent became a specialist in addictions out of his own experience of emotional neglect with two alcoholic parents. My trauma with polio and living with a disability all my life caused me to want to become a psychologist working with people with physical and medical traumas such as brain injuries, strokes, spinal cord injuries, pain and cancer and encouraging them to put their lives back together and recognize what they can learn from these experiences and what is important in their lives.
Following God's call and God's timing.
Mary Cosby always says that we know something is God's call when it seems impossible. So it was with Bethany for me, creating safe places for families who were recovering from homelessness and addiction. It seemed impossible and it took so many years to be realized. Again, when I began getting God's call for this Trauma Healing mission, I also was overwhelmed by the call. I told myself I had no time for the mission. I was already overwhelmed with all I was doing. But I was in the National Cathedral in a quiet moment during Lent several years ago and the call was given to me by God. I did not want to follow it, but was keeping it in my heart. I have always seen the Lord giving me open doors that I am supposed to walk through in faith when I feel a call. One of these doors happened later when I was visiting with Florence Akurut and friends and I met Niemat Ahamdai from Sudan who was speaking about her work with men and women from Darfur. It was at that moment that I knew I was being given the next step to my new mission. I remember the back and forth feeling I had that day about whether to respond to the call or not. I was scared and overwhelmed. That is also often a sign of God's direction for me: fear. That night, I struggled but finally decided to describe to Niemat about the vision I had of creating trauma healing groups of empowerment. Florence, Niemat and I met together thereafter and began our first group, Women Empowering Women, which has been going now for almost three years. It has been a gift to those of us from Eighth Day, and Jubilee churches who have been a part of it, as well as sisters from Darfur, in Sudan, and Ethiopia. It was only later that I have realized that this call had come out of my own trauma of my helplessness and vulnerability I experienced as a toddler facing polio and placed in quarantine for several weeks away from anyone I knew or loved. I was 19 months old. Molly Carr joined Florence and me when she shared her commitment to children recovering from trauma in church and she joined the mission group some time after that. This was a special gift, since she was my first mission group member in Jubilee Church many years ago when I first called my mission to homeless families in recovery from addiction. Melanie Becker, from Jubilee Church, has been a committed member of the mission, with her focus on trauma from rape and sexual abuse and commitment to our Women Empowering Women group. I have asked each of our mission group members to share how their own suffering has led to their growth and call today.