A Damaged Heart

 

3/13/2023

Jeremiah 3:2 “A voice was heard on the desolate heights, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel. For they have perverted their way; they have forgotten the Lord their God.”

Recently, a friend of mine has been posting a lot about "religious trauma" on social media. This person used to go to a college and career faith-based group my husband and I facilitated at our home. She also went to our church at that point in time. She has been in a long-tern relationship, has a lovely home, and now has two adorable little ones of her own. I always was drawn to her for her quirkiness, and she is also a writer…a poet, actually. She was the person that introduced me to one of my favorite TV shows, Doctor Who. I had noticed recently that she had been traveling down a different kind of road that was more secular, mystical, and holistic. I guess I assumed that, because she was attending our church and our group, she was a believer. Of course, no one can honestly know that about another person, but I believed she was. There certainly have been more than a few high-profile leaders that have left the faith over the past several years whose followers would have sworn were strong in the faith. 

So, seeing her posts about potions, crystals, and things of that nature over the past few years, I knew she was going down a different path. What I didn't know is that she actually feels traumatized by her experiences in the church. I am praying that our group was not a part of what led her to feel this way, but I have not yet reached out to ask her. I also have not commented on the couple of posts that I have seen about this subject, because I am taking some time to pray instead of just reacting. 

I have to say, I do feel badly about her sharing these emotions. I hope and pray that she felt the love of Jesus through me and my interactions with her and never felt judgement. Faith and my relationship with Jesus, not religion, has been the single most important part of my life for so long. The truth of Jesus' love and sacrifice for all humanity, the strength and guidance I receive from God's Holy Word, the act of releasing all to Him, the direction of the Holy Spirit, and the freedom that I have found in my relationship with Jesus are the reason that I can even sit here and write these words. God alone led me out of the darkness when no one else could. This is my truth, and it has really nothing to do with organized religion, although I do not shun that part of my faith journey. It is always about the relationship between me and God alone. I have felt His presence in my life and experienced too many things that cannot be explained, and my recovery is one of those things. 

I have known other people that were hurt by organized religion. There are many that have suffered manipulation and abuse, but all these things happen because of our fallen world; they are NEVER of God. So as a person of faith, what is my role in combatting the twisting and perversion of God's word? How can any of us combat the evil that invades the church and help those who have been affected and traumatized? It all feels so overwhelming, and knowing that there are people in pain because the Word of God has been perverted is just so disheartening.

We, of course, cannot fight this pervasive evil alone. The only way we can truly fight the good fight is to speak truth and illuminate the reality of scripture through devotion and prayer. We need to stay watchful for wolves in sheep’s clothing. We need to reach out to those who have been hurt and love others with all we have. Judgement has no place in witnessing to the unbeliever. We must love as Christ loves us. We must try to stop the pain that is occurring inside and outside of the church by people that falsely claim to be followers of Jesus. We must also extend grace, for it has been extended to us. What we all need is a healing of the soul.