2. Total Emotional Healing by Carol Balizet

 Table of Contents

https://web.archive.org/web/20050206043251/http://homeinzion.com/healing.html

Total Emotional Healing

by Carol Balizet

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It is a fact of life that we are wounded. Every human every born has failed, suffered loss, been misunderstood, rejected, disappointed, betrayed, denied. We have expectations which are not met, love which is not returned, plans which don't come to fruition and burdens which we cannot carry. All of these produce wounds. When we are wounded by life, particularly as children, we immediately grab for help. We reach out for something to help us endure the pain of the wounding. If what we reach for is not God, then it is - or it will become - an idol. And if it is an idol, it cannot bring total healing. Only the true God can accomplish that. And there is no fear of the Lord in the heart of an idolater.

A wound produces a hole in the wall of security around us, an opening in our defenses. If we allow God to heal us, the breach in the wall is restored. If not, we cover it over with "whitewash;" and enter a life of deception and pretense. If we accept the dominion of an idol, we automatically build a stronghold for him within our lives. We make a place for him, pay whatever he demands, protect him from attack, sacrifice for him. He is our master, at least in the area which has been wounded.

Some "helpers;" which take the role of Idol:

• Day dreams
• Drugs
• "Coping; mechanisms" of denial
• Therapy from other people
• Food
• Hiding, escapism
• Sports
• Hobbies
• Sex
• Alcohol
• Shopping
• TV
• Hypochondria, hysterical illnesses
• Work, success
• Money
• Political action

Symptoms of wounds which are not healed include:

• UNFORGIVENESS - for the one who wounded or for ourselves. We often blame ourselves for the wound.
• BITTERNESS - may be hidden and only spring up occasionally. It lays a foundation for depression and pessimism.
• ANGER - anger can be directed outwardly toward others as temper, rage, hatred; or it may be directed inwardly, toward ourselves. This makes it hard to believe in God's love, and hard to accept the love of others. It brings self-hatred, self-destruction and eventually a climate of despair.
• FEAR - in any area except the fear of God.
• GRIEF - the unhealed wound keeps oozing, unhealed and painful. The sign of this is: when the subject comes up, we tend to react as though it were a current thing. We manifest anger, pain, resentment etc. even years after the wounding.
• SHAME - we are exposed to ourselves as victims, and we accept the condemnation of Satan that we deserve to be treated badly, and that nothing can protect us from it.
• GUILT - We buy the lie that we are sub-normal Christians, without love, joy and peace, and somehow we have failed - and will continue to fail - despite any efforts we make. It must be some, deep, fatal flaw in us: we are God's one big mistake.
• RESENTMENT - Nothing works for us, we attract more blows on the sore spot and we have an offense with everyone who apparently doesn't suffer as we do. We are offended because what we believe (what we have been led to expect) is not manifest in our lives, and there is a feeling of "I did my part any the other guy (maybe even God) didn't do his part."
• UNREST - there is a lack of peace, a civil war within, and the flow of life is disturbing on a deep level; we have little fruit, and what is there is often spotty.