Every Believer Can...
Trauma is Never Over
Trauma is never over. It leaves scars, but it also opens space for presence, lament, and hope. In a world marked by violence and loss, every believer can make a difference.
A Bit of My Story
In 1995, I was in Oklahoma City when the bombing happened. Mary Jo and I drove downtown, expecting maybe to take pictures. What we found instead was devastation.
The Murrah Building’s ruins. Families broken. Lives altered in an instant.
My accompanist lost her husband immediately in the blast. Her children were eventually in my youth group. I walked with them through their grief, and I still carry their story today.
That experience taught me something I’ve never forgotten: trauma never truly ends. But faithful presence, prayer, and companionship do matter. They become the threads God uses to weave hope into lives.
Recent Events We’re Holding Together
This month we’ve been reminded again how trauma presses into our world:
The memory of 9/11, still shaping our national story.
The stabbing of Iryna Zarutska, a young Ukrainian refugee in Charlotte.
The Colorado shooting on September 10.
The assassination of Charlie Kirk, struck down while speaking publicly.
These are not distant headlines. They weigh on us and on our children, our communities, our churches. They remind us that trauma is sudden, deeply human, and always closer than we think.
Every Believer Can…
Every believer can show up. Presence matters more than answers. What people need most isn’t clever words, but steady companionship.
Every believer can give permission to lament. The psalms don’t rush us past grief — they give us language to cry out to God in honesty.
Every believer can point to hope. Not shallow optimism, but gritty, resurrection hope: Christ has the last word, not trauma.
Every believer can care for their own soul. As I said recently, “You can’t take others further than you are willing to go yourself.” Believers, too, must tend their own souls if they are to walk faithfully with others.
Every believer can persevere. A timely word, a prayer, a listening ear. God uses even these small acts to steady someone standing on the edge.
Walking Together
My friend Cheryl, who lost her husband in the OKC bombing, told me this week as she reflected on the Kirk family’s loss:
“[My shock] is not quite as much as it was in 1995, but enough that I have had to focus on doing other things and avoid the constant bombardment of the news about it. The best medicine is keeping my eyes on Jesus and praying for the Kirk family … I don’t know what I would have done without my Christian friends and family. The love of Christ is so reassuring and comforting …”
Her words remind us: believers are not meant to walk through trauma alone. Community matters. Compassion matters. Christ’s love matters.
What This Means for Us
If you are walking through pain, grief, or fear; know this: you are seen. Your story matters.
If you are in a place of stability, remember: you can make a difference. Show up. Lament. Point to hope. Care for your soul. Persevere.
Because every believer can.
If this reflection spoke to you, consider sharing it with someone walking through a season of trauma or grief. We are not meant to carry pain alone, and sometimes a simple reminder of hope can make all the difference.
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