Bob Tamasy
Stand-up comedian George Carlin died in 2008, but some of his monologues have amazing staying power. His frequent use of profanity in his commentaries turned off some of his listeners, but he had a way of looking at the ordinary and providing extraordinary insights through humor.
One routine I recall was about the psychological and emotional damage many soldiers have endured due to wartime experiences. Carlin observed that curiously over the years discussing the malady has become more complex, both its diagnosis and the terminology used to describe it.
During World War I, soldiers returning from battle often suffered from “Shell Shock” – a condition summed up in two words of one syllable each. Then came World War II, with combatants dealing with similar issues, except it was then termed “Battle Fatigue.” Still two words, but both containing two syllables.
Since the Vietnam War, however, the situation has risen to new levels of sophistication, as its new name would suggest: “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” (PTSD). As Carlin noted, it now consists of four words and eight syllables. It’s also being used to define other forms of trauma – such as car accidents, acts of terrorism, witnessing acts of violence, first-responders dealing with the aftermath of horrific emergencies, and natural disasters.
It wasn’t Carlin’s intent, nor is it mine, to minimize the dreadful impact of PTSD. My father served in World War II, was wounded twice, and I suspect he suffered from PTSD, judging from the nights he would cry out in his sleep because of nightmares. And I have a good friend who has founded an amazing ministry devoted to serving veterans dealing with the effects of PTSD, having experienced it firsthand himself.
But recently I heard someone speak of a different possible outcome for those experiencing trauma and severe trials of one kind or another. It’s called PTG – Post-Traumatic Growth.
Have you ever gone through an extremely difficult time – overwhelming challenges at work; dire financial problems; a frightening health diagnosis, or family crisis – that seemed more than you could bear? At the time those circumstances might have seemed hopeless, but weeks or months, maybe years later, they proved to be significant for your personal growth?
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was a Nobel Prize-winning Russian writer and dissident who endured the horrors of the Soviet prison system. In his book, The Gulag Archipelago, he wrote, “Bless you prison, bless you for being in my life. For there, lying upon the rotting prison straw, I came to realize that the object of life is not prosperity as we are made to believe, but the maturity of the human soul.”
Along with being able to raise global awareness of the great political repression in the then-Soviet Union, Solzhenitsyn also came to faith in Jesus Christ. We could say his years of personal trauma were turned into post-traumatic growth.
We can find no better example of this than the apostle Paul. In a letter to followers of Jesus in ancient Corinth, Paul wrote about the many hardships he suffered in seeking to advance the Gospel, including imprisonments and floggings:
“…Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea…. I have been in danger from rivers…bandits…my own countrymen …. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked” (2 Corinthians 11:23-27).
And we think we’ve had it rough! But this same person who knew adversity in so many shapes and forms could also write, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Many of us have heard this verse. Maybe so often that it rolls right off our tongues. But do we really believe it? “All things”? “For good”? Well, that’s what it says – what God says.
Our pastor recently observed that some people willingly – and intentionally – invite pain in the anticipation of good outcomes, perhaps their own version of post-traumatic growth. Who are these crazy folks? Marathon runners. Or if you prefer, triathletes. Not only do they go through many months of grueling training and preparation, but also the competitive events themselves, whether it’s enduring mile after mile of a 26-mile marathon or the combined swimming, biking and running phases of the triathlon.
Applying this to spiritual growth, we’d be wise to heed Solzhenitsyn’s words, “the object of life is not prosperity as we are made to believe, but the maturity of the human soul.”
This life, in terms of eternity, passes like the blink of an eye. For that reason, it’s important to maintain our focus on what lies ahead. As Paul wrote, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
Trusting that God truly has a purpose behind our trials, tribulations and traumas, we can use them to turn PTSD into PTG.
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Robert J. Tamasy is a veteran journalist, former newspaper editor, and magazine editor. Bob has written, co-authored and edited more than 20 books. These include ”Marketplace Ambassadors”; “Business At Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace”; “Tufting Legacies,” “The Heart of Mentoring,” and “Pursuing Life With a Shepherd’s Heart.” He writes and edits a weekly business meditation, “Monday Manna,” which is translated into nearly 20 languages and distributed via email around the world by CBMC International. The address for Bob's blog is www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com. His email address is btamasy@comcast.net.