Jamaica with My Granddaughters

Wow, has it ever been a time of rapid change! We left on March 13, when everyone was in school, work, church, going out to restaurants. When we returned 7 days later, none of that was true. Though the spread if the virus affected us somewhat in Jamaica (things were closed, including the school where we planned to teach), we didn’t feel it as much as when we got back. In fact, we learned that they were going to close the airport only one day after we left. Praise God!

I was able to take my two 12 year old granddaughters along, and their descriptions of the trip follow mine. It was my 6th trip to Jamaica, and Wanda's first. Though it was different than we expected, God showed up and we had a wonderful time.

I was very proud of Abi and Aryn. They spent time each day preparing their Bible lessons for the children, the story and the crafts. I think their confidence level went up over the 6 days that they taught. It was a beautiful sight to behold. If there had not been a coronavirus, they would have had too many children to handle, as it was they had between 15-20 kids.

Both the girls did a devotional for the group each day, and we had wonderful times of prayer together. Abi and Aryn got baptized in the Holy Spirit down there too.

Wanda and I taught the adults who were staff and administrators at the school. I taught on encouragement, trauma, woundedness and how to heal from it, anxiety, and boundaries. Wanda taught on Spiritual and Emotional intelligence, and some other pertinent things from Scripture. The talks were well-received, and they thanked us profusely for coming down in the midst of a pandemic to teach them.

Randy, the school head, took us to the ocean the last day, and the girls really enjoyed it. We had a sweet time having supper (take out) in a park before leaving the next day.

Thanks again for your prayers for the trip! God really showed up in amazing ways, and we are still rejoicing over what He did in the one week we were gone.

Here in Abi’s and Aryn’s own words are paragraphs describing it:

My Time in Jamaica

By Abigail Gill

            Being in Jamaica was super fun! Every day, at 3:00 PM, my Nana, her friend Wanda, my cousin, and I would go out to the picnic tables underneath a big tree right outside our place. All the kids would gather there. My cousin Aryn and I would stand up on one of the picnic tables and tell a Bible story to the kids. Some of the Bible stories we told were Saul/Paul, the Creation story, Moses and the Ten Plagues, and we told them about when Jesus comes back. After we told the story, we’d give them a craft to do. Some of the crafts we did were maracas they could color, T-shirts and little bags they could decorate, a coloring sheet of Jesus with children, and a sticker sheet of Paul writing parts of the Bible in jail. 

Kid’s club lasted from three to five so we had a lot of free time. I played a lot of card games with Aryn, and sometimes we went and visited the village doctor who is also from Minnesota, Dr. Gail. The day before we left, we swam in the ocean! It was really salty but the giant waves were super awesome. We shopped for souvenirs in a market where everyone was saying that their stuff was better than the others and they had better prices.

 I had an amazing trip to Jamaica, I am super thankful that my Nana let me go along!

        My Jamaica trip 

                                                By Aryn Gill

We got to Jamaica late, and I tried my first Jamaican food at 10:30 at night. It was a good spicy fish sandwich with fries. When we got to the mission the first thing I noticed was a twin sized bed with orange sheets that was really comfortable, I booked it towards the bed and fell asleep. The next day we had our first kids club. We told Bible stories then did crafts. During that time me and Abi met some girls who were very sweet and we played basketball with them. We remained in contact with them for the rest of the week. 

The tiny shops there were interesting, you didn't walk into it and look around you stood at a corner and peered through a window and had to decide what you wanted. The main food that we ate in Jamaica was chicken and fries, but on some occasions we would go to an air conditioned restaurant called Juici patties, where Abi’s and my favorites were the beef pattie.  When we went out for lunch once at Juici patties, there was a food market across the street. We tried some new fruits there. To pass the time Abi and I filled up an entire journal writing in igpa atinla (Pig Latin). We would play cards and walk around the mission. On our last day at Spring Village we gave away the gifts to the kids. It was so funny, even if they were 10 year old boys they would beg for the small little pink shoes. 😊   (a famous line was:“ I’m not greedy I just want lots of money to make me happy.”) The kids were fun to hang out with and do crafts with. 

On the last day a nice man named Randy, who is in charge of the mission, drove us through mountains to the beach where we swam in the ocean. We went tourist shopping, where I got my family gifts and got my birthday present from Nana which was a beautiful handmade purse. Then we stayed at a hotel for the night, and in the morning we flew home. 

Going to Jamaica was a great experience, and I would love to go on another one soon.

Again, we’d like to say thank you for all your support, prayers, encouragement! When all gather around the throne in that final day, and there are people from every tribe, nation, and language, we will rejoice with them. And YOU will also be with us, receiving appreciation as well.

Warmly,

 Cynthia, Abi, and Aryn

How Do I Get My Needs Met in a Pandemic?

Needs? How can we have them met in this crazy crisis? The whole world is thrown into chaos, and we are left reeling. Everyone says “Don’t be afraid,” (everyone except the news media, that is) but how do you do that?

Let me list four human needs and tell how you can meet each one in these unusual times.

The first one is for Connection.  All of us know intuitively that we were created for community, for connection, with other human beings. Even introverts. But socially isolating is wreaking havoc with all of that.

We must connect to feel human! At least once a day call, FaceTime, or talk with a human. A good friend. Make yourself do this, and if you feel awkward, DO IT ANYWAY! Better to feel momentarily awkward than to shrivel up and be depressed. (Texting is widely used, but only marginally connects people.)

The second need is for Routine or Order. Children especially thrive when there is an order to their day, when they know what to expect. If you have trouble with that one, imagine a classroom with kids milling around before the teacher comes in. It tends to become more and more chaotic, until the teacher restores order.

When you wake up in the morning, plan the day. Make a list if you want. Give approximate times: “at 8:00 we’ll have breakfast, at 8:30 we’ll do chores, at 9:00 we’ll start school, at 10:00 we’ll take a break for recess…” Of course some down time is necessary, but not too much! Plan a fun thing each day, but stick to a routine. (That’s why “make your bed” is the first thing in my previous blog, How to Stay Sane in Quarantine.) If you’re alone, it’s equally important to have some routine, and a plan for each day.

The third need is for Control. Every human being needs the freedom of choice, and certain amount of control over their lives. That’s why giving simple choices works so well with children. But we have lost much control recently! There are so many things we want to do but can’t.

Try making two lists. One is for things you can’t control, and that you worry about. For some, this list might be a long one. The set your timer for 5 minutes, and WORRY about these things. Do the “what if” for all of them, think of the worst case scenarios. When the timer goes off “DING,” the put these in a box, on the shelf. Give them to God. You can’t control them anyway, so what good does worry do?

Then make a list of things you CAN control. What you wear, what you eat, whether to FaceTime with someone now or later, what activities to do today. Most importantly, your attitude! You can control your attitude, if you will be grateful or grumpy today. Try it, it works. You can choose your words, you can encourage someone else, you can be cheerful. “A merry heart does good like a medicine...” (Prov. 17:22)

The fourth need we all have is sense of Competency. We need to engage in some activities that we are reasonably good at each day. If we’ve lost our job, or are temporarily laid off, we might feel dejected, like we can’t do what we’re good at. But you can! Now, for you perfectionists out there, I’m not talking about things you’re perfect at, nor that you’ve mastered. Rather, things that you feel somewhat good after doing.

Think baking, reading, juggling, playing an instrument, drawing, painting, sewing, telling jokes, knitting, cooking…the sky’s the limit. It is important that we feel good about ourselves each day. Perhaps you have a kind heart, and like to encourage others. DO IT! Smiling at someone might make their day. Each of us can find something we’re “kind of” good at everyday to do. How about a new hobby, one that you haven’t had time to do before?

 At the end of the day, list all the things you did right today. (Rather than all the mistake you made.) You’ll feel a lot better!

So, if you work at it, be creative and find ways to meet the needs of Connection, Routine, Control, and Competency be met.

 We’ll get through this! And have stories to tell others 20 years from now…

Tips for Staying Sane in Quarantine

Well, a friend and colleague wrote most of these, but I thought they were good for all of us to read and think about. This is a unique time, we get through it by taking one day at a time, and not letting the "what if''s" get to us.

Tips to stay motivated and in good head space while stuck at home…

1. Make your bed

Sticking to your usual morning routine helps to start the day in a sane way. Especially when you get that fear realization that you are stuck at home, doing what you normally do in the morning helps the brain.

2 .Plan a schedule for the day
Plan out your entire day. A routine will establish normalcy in this not-so normal time. This boosts productivity and sense of purpose.

3. Create a bright environment
Whatever space you work in or hang out the most in…do some redecorating! Good lighting, plants, candles, upbeat music, etc. You want a room that you look forward to being in. Make sure you keep it organized and de-cluttered as well.

4. Water, water, water
Stay hydrated, drink lots of water. Don’t just drink soda pop and coffee all day. Also, try your best to eat healthy and not carb load on junk.

5. Spend time outside
It’s easy to start thinking of the outside world as scary. It’s not. Get outside; walk around your yard, do some planting, go for a walk, go for a car drive (and get Starbucks drive thru). Even if it’s just a few minutes several times a day to be outside, breathe deeply and watch the clouds. You need oxygen! A buildup of carbon dioxide is not good for anxiety. Plus, it’s helpful to remember that life still exists, the world has not ended, and that you are still part of the human race.

6. Movement
Devote specific time in your daily schedule for physical activity. Stream an exercise video, do some yoga, walk up and down stairs, stretch. Get the endorphins flowing! You may not have control over some aspects of this world right now, but you have control over your muscles!

7. Practice mindfulness
Same as physical activity, devote some time every day to practice mindfulness. Keep your mind in the here and now – don’t worry about the future. Meditate, listen to a peaceful podcast or guided mediation, do the Hershey kiss trick, hyper focus on your senses around you, close your eyes and listen to music… BREATHE

8. Attitude check
We are human; you will have wonky emotions, feel overwhelmed. It’s okay to allow yourself a bit of a pity party. Know when you’ve had enough and it’s okay to disengage for a bit. But then give yourself an attitude check. I suggest at least once a day, check your attitude. Notice if your thoughts are positive or negative, notice if your body is relaxed or tense. Don’t beat yourself up for this…just notice it and then put energy into turning the ‘tude around.

9. Joy
This is a unique time, we will be telling stories soon about where we were during this crisis and all be wearing “we survived” t-shirts. Make the most of this!!! Try a project you’ve been meaning to do. Read that book you haven’t had time for. Spend quality/ creative time with your family. Cook and eat meals together. Binge watch movies from the 1980s. Write the next great American novel. The possibilities are endless! Finally, once a day do something joyful. Schedule it into your day. Having something positive and joy filled to look forward to in your day is so so important.

10. Spend time with God    Read the Bible, pray, worship, sit quietly before Him, go out an admire Nature, and BE THANKFUL!

credit given to Melissa Doucette, MA, LMFT

How Shall We Then Pray?

How Shall We Then Pray?

Here are 20 points that can help guide us in our prayers for the situation we are in. Remember

"The fervent, effectual prayer of a righteous person has great power in its effects!" (James 5:16)

I came back from Jamaica on Friday the 20th of March and everything had changed! The week before, everyone went to school, work, ate in restaurants, many went to church. Wow, what a drastic and sudden change.

Not since World War II has such a large thing happened to our country. 

God is shaking everything that can be shaken, so that what cannot be shaken might remain... (Heb. 12:26-27)

Coronavirus prayer points

When I was feeling powerless this morning, I read this great prayer list from Jen Pollock Michel and I remembered we have great POWER in prayer and being good neighbors right now! 

1. For the sick and infected: God, heal and help. Sustain bodies and spirits. Contain the spread of infection.

2. For our vulnerable populations: God, protect our elderly and those suffering from chronic disease. Provide for the poor, especially the uninsured.

3. For the young and the strong: God, give them the necessary caution to keep them from unwittingly spreading this disease. Inspire them to help.

4. For our local, state, and federal governments: God, help our elected officials as they allocate the necessary resources for combatting this pandemic. Help them to provide more tests.

5. For our scientific community, leading the charge to understand the disease and communicate its gravity: God, give them knowledge, wisdom, and a persuasive voice.

6. For the media, committed to providing up-to-date information: God, help them to communicate with appropriate seriousness without causing panic.

7. For consumers of media, looking to be well-informed: God, help us find the most helpful local information to equip us to be good neighbors. Keep us from anxiety and panic, and enable us to implement the recommended strategies, even at a cost to ourselves.

8. For those with mental health challenges who feel isolated, anxious, and helpless: God, provide them every necessary support.

9. For the homeless, unable to practice the protocols of social distancing in the shelter system: Protect them from disease, and provide isolation shelters in every city.

10. For international travelers stuck in foreign countries: God, help them return home safely and quickly.

11. For Christian missionaries throughout the world, especially in areas with high rates of infection: God, provide them with words of hope, and equip them to love and serve those around them.

12. For workers in a variety of industries facing layoffs and financial hardship: God, keep them from panic, and inspire your church to generously support them.

13. For families with young children at home for the foreseeable future: God, help mothers and fathers to partner together creatively for the care and flourishing of their children. For single mothers and fathers, grow their networks of support.

14. For parents who cannot stay home from work but must find care for their children: God, present them with creative solutions.

15. For those in need of regular therapies and treatments that must now be postponed: God, help them to stay patient and positive.

16. For business leaders making difficult decisions that affect the lives of their employees: God, give these women and men wisdom, and help them to lead self-sacrificially.

17. For pastors and church leaders faced with the challenges of social distancing: God, help them to creatively imagine how to pastor their congregants and love their cities well.

18. For college and university students, whose courses of study are changing, whose placements are cancelled, whose graduation is uncertain: God, show them that while life is uncertain, their trust is in you.

19. For Christians in every neighborhood, community, and city: May your Holy Spirit inspire us to pray, to give, to love, to serve, and to proclaim the gospel, that the name of Jesus Christ might be glorified around the world.

20. For frontline health care workers, we thank you for their vocational call to serve us. We also pray:

God, keep them safe and healthy. Keep their families safe and healthy- help them to be knowledgeable about the diagnosis and treatment of this disease, as well as the changing protocols.-help them to stay clear-minded in the midst of the surrounding panic -deliver them from anxiety for their own loved ones (aging parents, children, spouses, roommates).

God, give them compassion for every patient in their care- provide for them financially, especially if they fall ill and are unable to work.- help Christians in health care to exhibit extraordinary peace, so that that many would ask about the reason for their hope. Give them opportunities to proclaim the gospel.

God, we trust that you are good and do good. Teach us to be your faithful people in this time of global crisis. Help us to follow in the footsteps of our faithful shepherd, Jesus, who laid down his life for the sake of love. Glorify his name as you equip us with everything needed for doing your will. Amen.

Burnout? Me? Part 4

The final installment in my 4 part series on Burnout. Pastors? Doctors? Counselors? Teachers? Lawyers? Nurses? Caregivers, Missionaries? I hope this has been helpful. At the end I put a poem/hymn that has been really a blessing to me; a copy of it is displayed in each of my offices. Enjoy!

10. Guilt. How do we live in a world where there is such an imbalance of resources? There is great disparity, and we need to come to grips with that in order not to feel guilty.

 One effect of guilt is that it can affect any authentic connection between people. We tend to purposefully diminish ourselves in an unsuccessful attempt to connect with those less fortunate than us. “Why can I buy some new shoes when they don’t even have a house?” we think. Or we downplay that we had a nice, fun weekend, knowing that our clients did not. 

Guilt is one of the strongest signs of trauma response. Yet if we yield to it, it blocks our ability to be present with those who need us. We must overcome this false sense of guilt, and take in the beauty, and fresh sense of rejuvenation around us. We’ll need it to bring some sense of nourishment and care to others. 

Ps 32:10 “Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him”

Ps. 31:23 “The Lord preserves the faithful, and faithfully recompenses the proud doer.”

Ps. 84:11 “No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

11. Fear. Fear is a natural and healthy response to much of what we witness. But, too often we don’t acknowledge it, because it makes us feel so vulnerable. It may make us uncomfortable to discover that we have much in common with our clients, who are also fearful. 

Do we disconnect from our fear because it reminds us of the fragility of our lives? When we acknowledge our fear, we have the opportunity to deepen our compassion. When we overcome the fear of dying, it helps us embrace the preciousness of life, and live in a more loving way. 

Is 41:9,10 “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you. Do not fear, I am with you, do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Ps 34:7 “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them.” 

Phil 3:13,14 “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

I Jn. 4:4 “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.”    

12. Anger and Cynicism. Anger is a common feeling that we get when confronted with injustice. But, the majority of people have not been raised with good skills for managing anger. No wonder there are so many anger management classes and groups being offered!

 We need to learn what to do with our anger to be healthy individuals. We need to be comfortable with our anger or our clients will find it impossible to process their anger with us. Cynicism is one way that many people deal with their anger: it’s a sophisticated way of managing it, and often it is witty, quick, sharp, easy to laugh at. 

Yet underneath is bitterness, and that needs to be handled with care.

 Bitterness is the cocaine of emotions. Better to vent, safely express the anger (not hurting anyone), and move on, than sit and hold on the your anger. Find a friend who will listen, not try to fix you, and share what's on your heart.

“Be angry but do not sin, don’t let the sun go down on your anger.”Eph. 4:26

“They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.” Ps. 34:5

“For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one dies for all, therefore all died; and He dies that they who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.” II Cor. 5:14,15

This is the poem/hymn that I never get tired of reading: 

He gives more grace when the burdens grow greater,

He sends more strength when the labors increase;

To added affliction He adds His mercies,

To multiplied trials His multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,

When our strength has failed ‘ere the day is half done,

When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,

Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,

His power no boundary known unto men;

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus

He gives and gives and gives again.

                                                        Annie Johnson Flint

Burnout? Me? Part 3

I've only put 3 items at a time on each blog, because 1) busy people don't have time to read much, and 2) it allows it to be "digested" better when there are fewer. 

Again, just about all of us can relate to these somewhat. In this day and age where we move quickly, and don't take time to reflect, to take care of ourselves... PAY ATTENTION! 

7. Inability to Listen/Deliberate Avoidance.  We refuse to answer the telephone. We hope fervently for bad weather so we don’t have to work, we knock softly, hoping that they aren’t home. We choose not to go out at all, or if we do it’s with people who won’t engage in depth with us. We avoid the pain.

 As we get overwhelmed with trauma exposure, we lose interest in things that once gave us joy: friends, family, yoga, sports, dancing, art, hobbies. We don’t listen anymore, for fear of what we’ll hear. Avoiding can become a habit, and it is very serious. 

Addictions are common with trauma exposed persons. Why? Because they allow us to numb ourselves, or avoid overwhelming feelings.  Drugs, alcohol, food, sex, electronic games are common ones. While we may understand that the thing we are addicted to has a potentially destructive nature, we allow ourselves to become attached to it. 

Overwork, for many of us, becomes an addiction. The rush of adrenaline that come with moving fast, and the rewards given by our productivity-based society to us for overworking make it nearly impossible to stop. 

We need to ask ourselves: do I have a productivity-based identity? Am I only as valuable as what I DO, not who I am? Do I lack the inner capacity to deal with my reality, or am I seeing a thing, substance, or person to help me avoid it?

Ps. 84:11 “The Lord is a sun and a shield, The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

Prov.11:25 “The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters, will himself be watered.”

Phil. 2:10,11 “At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow,… every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

Lord, break the power of idols in my life! Our hearts are idol-makers, and we must keep diligently aware, to break the power of addictions before they become too powerful in our lives.

8. Inability to Empathize, Numbing. An inability to feel with a person, or feeling numb, happens as a result of being overwhelmed with bad things that happen to people. One person described it as if you are a sponge that gets completely saturated and is never wrung out. You can only hold so much. 

The body naturally used a complicated mix of hormones, chemicals, and sensory cues to manufacture feelings. These alert us to danger, focus our attention, and calm us down. But we can override it, that is “numb out” by shutting them down. 

Alcohol and drugs are used to numb our feelings, but also they can be numbed by adrenaline, caffeine, and even too much sugar. 

Overwork many times takes our attention, and this is not a good thing. Many people addicted to overwork report that when they take a vacation, they are sick the first half of it, because they are not used to living in a relaxed state. Imagine going on a 7-day vacation and being sick the first 5 days from adrenaline withdrawal. It happens, frequently!

Here's a quote from Thomas Merton: “The frenzy of our activism neutralizes our work for peace. It destroys our own inner capacity for peace. It destroys the fruitfulness of our work, because it kills the root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful.”  (p. 108, Trauma Exposure)

“Be still and know that I am God.” Ps. 46:10

Ps 119:32  “I will run the way of your commandments for you will enlarge my heart.”

II Tim 2:3 “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier in Christ Jesus…”

9. Dissociative moments. We all know what it is like to dissociate temporarily, having our mind wander when we’re listening to a story, or not remembering where we were when we were going along a road that we had gone on 5,000 times.

 But the dissociative experience we are talking about here is caused by intrusive or overwhelming feelings. A person cuts themselves off from their internal experience in order to guard against sensations and emotions that would be overwhelming to them. Not only are they in their own little world , separate from those they are supposed to be listening to, but their mind is wandering. This is common for people who are exposed to suffering. 

Don’t try to pretend it isn’t happening, just admit it and ask for them to repeat the last few sentences. And get help!

Is 42:19,20  “Who is so blind but My servant? Or so deaf as my messenger whom I send? …You have seen many things but do not observe them, your ears are open but you do not hear.” We need to be so focused on God that we just see what He wants us to see. Like a horse with blinders on. This will help our getting overwhelmed with the trauma all around us. This is one of my favorite self-care verses. 

Lam 3:22-26

 ²² The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
²⁴ “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I have hope in Him.”
²⁵ The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the person who seeks Him.
²⁶ It is good that he waits silently
For the salvation of the Lord.

Self-care. We ALL need it, no matter of we are in a people-serving business or not. Those in such professions (counselors, teachers, pastors, missionaries, lawyers, doctors, nurses, caregivers) need it twice as much. Let's calm ourselves and enjoy life. God is on the throne. 

Burnout? Me? Part 2

These are for the people who got high on the "2" of the enneagram. The "Givers," who are very compassionate people, and give and give...    

            

4.) Diminished creativity- Diminished creativity is when you think to yourself “When was the last time I had an original thought?” You may find that you’re bored with what  you’re doing and you can’t remember a time when you felt creative. “Only a person who is relaxed can create, and from that mind ideas flow like lightening.” (Cicero) But trauma exposure makes us crave more structure and less creativity.

One group decided to cancel one business meeting a month, and just devote it to having people write. They were to write the latest theories and approaches to their work, then think outside the box, trying to get creative ideas. It worked! But the emphasis had to be on creativity, not productivity, or the people’s resistance to relaxing would come out.

“The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still.” Ex. 14:14

“Therefore let us fear, lest while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it …there remains therefore a rest for the people of God.” Heb. 4:1, 9

"Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to stay up late, for He gives to His beloved sleep." Ps. 127:1,2

5. Minimizing. People who witness lots of trauma become increasingly inoculated to others’ pain. We trivialize a current situation by comparing it with another situation we consider more serious. For example, we say, “What, you’re complaining about your fight on the playground today? It’s not like anyone got hurt or killed with a weapon.” Or someone comes to you with for help dealing with the death of a relative and you say (inside), “Well it’s not Auschwitz.”
 Minimizing is losing our compassion and ability to empathize because we are comparing others’ suffering, and putting it into a hierarchy. We feel saturated, and can’t let ourselves feel anymore.


Prov. 14:21 “He who despises his neighbor sins,
But happy is he who is gracious to the poor.”


Is. 42:3  “A bruised reed He will not break
And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish;
He will faithfully bring forth justice.”


Jer. 8:22 “Is there no balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
Why then has not the health of the daughter of my people been restored?”





6. Chronic exhaustion/physical ailments. There are 2 kinds of exhaustion: feeling tired because you put in a hard day’s work, and feeling fatigued in every cell of your being. You feel bone-tired, soul-tired, heart-tired mind-tired from trauma exposure, and when you awaken the next morning you don’t feel refreshed. This happens to people who are completely overwhelmed by the urgency of the tasks to do, or the despair from feeling that you have no choice but to remain in the helping profession. After all, who would do it if you did not?

Some of the physical symptoms from trauma exposure are: back pain, migraine headaches, high blood pressure, body aches, clinical depression, stress-induced diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, cancer, strokes, and heart attacks.

 I had a stroke in 2015, a wake-up call to do less. Trauma exposure is very tiring. As we accumulate it, our bodies and minds will require extra attention in order to become fully rested and refreshed. A colleague of mine gave me good advice: “Take frequent vacations,” she said.


Ps 71:17-20 “O God, you have taught me from my youth, and I still declare your wondrous deeds. And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come…You who have showed me many troubles and distresses will revive me again.”


II Cor. 4:16-18 ¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, ¹⁸ while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

These 3 symptoms may or may not resonate with us, but we can be on the lookout for them just the same. Only in the Lord is there victory!