Many of us have faced rejection and betrayal. Some of us have faced abuse and neglect. Some of us have faced other types of hurt and trauma. These things can create soul wounds. When we hear the word wound, we typically think about a physical injury. A broken bone. A deep cut. A bruise. Something we can see. But what about the wounds nobody else can see? What about the child who grew up believing they weren't good enough? The person who experienced rejection so frequently that they began expecting everyone to abandon them? The survivor of abuse who struggles to trust anyone? Or the person who was repeatedly told they were worthless and eventually began believing it? These experiences can leave wounds that are not visible to the human eye. Within Christian teaching, these are sometimes referred to as soul wounds. A soul wound is a term used to describe deep emotional and spiritual pain that may result from experiences such as abuse, abandonment, betrayal, rejection, neglect, or significant loss. Although soul wound is not a formal medical diagnosis or a specific biblical term, it can be a helpful way of describing the lasting effects of painful experiences. And here's something important to understand: Just because something happened years ago doesn't mean its effects automatically disappeared. Sometimes we believe we've moved past an experience because we no longer think about it regularly. But then something happens: · Someone raises their voice. · A loved one doesn't respond to a message. · Someone criticizes us. · We feel rejected. And suddenly, our emotional response seems much bigger than the situation itself. Sometimes that's because the present experience has activated pain associated with something we experienced in the past.

Many of us know someone that has, or is currently battling the spirit of addiction, including myself. Seeing a loved one (a friend, a parent, a sibling, another family member, etc) is very hard to watch. It can leave a person feeling powerless, confused, angry, hurt, resentment, and many other emotions. Sometimes it can be hard to see were love crossing the line into enabling. Sometimes setting boundaries with the loved one battling the spirit of addiction may feel like you are betraying your loved one. This is not true. Setting boundaries with is an act of love both towards your loved one and towards yourself. Sometimes a person may even feel anger towards God, for allowing their loved one to suffer,. The Bible is filled with examples of people getting angry/ frustrated with God (ie Moses, David, Job, etc). Anger and blame can also be part of the grieving process. When we watch a loved one spiral out of control, oppressed by addiction, we may start to grieve the person we once knew and loved. That is a normal human response. Sometimes having a loved one that’s struggling with addiction leads to sleepless nights. Thoughts like “are they ok?” “Where are they?” And “why aren’t they answering their phone?” Are all completely understandable, especially if the loved one has a pattern of taking off for days, getting into legal trouble, or overdosing. When the phone rings from an unknown number, especially late at night or early in the morning, one might think, “is this the call I’ve been afraid of getting?” Then there’s the part that isn’t talked about enough, losing yourself because you e become so hyperdrives on helping your loved one. There is some good news. You are NOT your loved one’s savior. Yeshua (Jesus) the Christ is his/ her Lord and Savior. Just like He is/can be your Lord and Savior. Just like He is my Lord and Savior. I get first hand what it’s like to see a loved one battling the spirit of addiction, I understand the pain, hurt, guilt, shame, anger, etc that comes with this. I have also been the loved one struggling and battling the spirit of addiction.