Christians….on the Battlefield….and PTSD

RE-Release from: May 29, 2019, 9:23 AM

CHRISTIANS…..on the Battlefield …and PTSD

We just celebrated Memorial Day which honors ALL the War Veteran’s that have given their lives to fight for our Freedom.  This is the greatest sacrifice…that a man lay down his life for his brother.

In pondering this and the last phone call I just had, it made me wonder….are we as Christians….the next WAR VETERAN’s that may need help…especially coming off the battlefied? Are you JUST plain….”wore slap out”?? TIRED?? DONE??

After talking to a very close friend of mine today, I realized that sometimes, we as Christians can get “battle fatigue”. We are in a spiritual war against good and evil, and we can get weary in well doing, even though we are told to beware of that. This friend did not really understand why she was feeling depressed and agitated. I think that when we as Christians have been in what I call “survival mode for so long…we forget what it means to “REST” in the Gospel.  We are so busy trying to fight for survival….food, shelter, clothing, healthcare, provision, that our focus becomes just that.  This survival….”fight or flight” mode – stress- has increased our levels of adrenaline, which seem to produce a ramped up state of being, and because of this self-protective mode, up go the walls, and we can literally become “defensive” because we have had to be in order to survive. 

The “fight-or-flight” response plays a critical role in how we deal with stress and danger in our environment. Essentially, the response prepares the body to either fight or flee the threat. It is also important to note that the response can be triggered due to both real and imaginary threats.

By priming your body for action, you are better prepared to perform under pressure. The stress created by the situation can actually be helpful, making it more likely that you will cope effectively with the threat. This type of stress can help you perform better in situations where you are under pressure to do well, such as at work or school. In cases where the threat is life-threatening, the fight-or-flight response can actually play a critical role in your survival. By gearing you up to fight or flee, the fight-or-flight response makes it more likely that you will survive the danger.

Does this place of being in battle for so long, that has challenged our faith, and created this other “state of being” hurt us emotionally, physically and spiritually?  I believe it does!  I also believe that once we move into a now “safe place”, a place of refuge OFF the battlefield, that is when, like soldiers, we experience “Christian PTSD”…or a place where we now can let our guard down, and then try to process ALL of the emotions that seem to wash over us, and then we don’t know what to do with the depression or agitation.  We have been so used to being in a mode of survival, that we don’t know how to just…REST!  I believe that we need to change our FOCUS…and trust in what GOD has promised us and not in what we “see”.  We are in a FAITH WALK.

We have some tips on how to survive this “PTSD”. PLEASE send me an email at: womenofvinela.com and I will send you FREE the TIPS on how to overcome and survive this trauma!