When Jesus spoke of worry in His sermons on mount and plain (Matthew 6 and Luke 12), he addressed it in terms of what we are ‘seeking’ (e.g. Matt 6:25-34). Anxiety was defined less in terms of how we feel but more in terms of what we seek (v33). What am I going after, what am I wanting, what is my goal?
Here is sin that arises not from forgetfulness, nor from wilfulness, but from some kind of incapacity. That presents us with a rather different way of thinking about sin. Not our usual: ‘God expected one thing, I chose to do another and in this I committed sin’. But a much more nuanced failing that is more inability than iniquity.
‘Lord, we feel so unworthy in your presence...’. We have all prayed these words or certainly heard them expressed in heartfelt ways. Unworthiness can hit us like a bolt of lightning when convicted of a sin. Or sometimes it settles like an unwelcome cloud over our lives, a shadow of inferiority that not only taints relationships but controls choices we make.
Experiencing or witnessing trauma can take its toll. Our bodies and minds often react and leave us reeling in its wake. How can we, as normal Christians without specialist training, support those struggling after trauma?
