Healing the Wounds of Trauma

Physical Wound

Heart Wound

It takes time to heal.

It takes time to heal.

A healed heart wound also may leave a scar. People can be healed, but they will not be exactly the same as before the wound.

A healed wound may leave a scar.

B. How do people with wounded hearts behave? Proverbs 4.23 tells us: “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (NLT). What happens to our hearts affects how we live. ❂❂ SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION Can you think of people who are showing unusual behavior because their hearts are wounded? How do they act? Some people with wounded hearts are always tense. Every loud noise makes them jump. They are frightened all the time and expect another bad thing to happen at any moment. They may be so tense they can’t fall asleep, or they may wake up very early. At times, they may shake or have a fast or irregular heart beat. At other times they may have difficulty breathing or feel dizzy or faint (Ps 55.4–5). They may be very sad and depressed; they may lose interest in eating and cry a lot. They may be very angry, hateful, and can become violent. For example, women who have been raped may be angry at all men. Some people with wounded hearts may avoid anything that brings back memories of traumatic events they have experienced. For instance, people who have gone through a war in which airplanes dropped bombs on them may now be very frightened by the sound of an airplane. They may avoid airports. Some people who have been hurt by Christians may refuse to go to church. Some people with wounded hearts feel numb. They don’t care very much what happens to them. They have no energy. They are no longer disturbed by violence or seeing dead bodies.

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How Can the Wounds of Our Hearts Be Healed?