So I’m watching New Amsterdam… the episode where Dr. Frome is using Ecstasy to treat PTSD. In this episode a man was experiencing post traumatic stress as a result of an explosion in a night club. In this episode we see this use of ecstasy to present this man an opportunity to recall the event without being traumatized again. As Dr. Frome is walking him through the events of that evening he realized he misinterpreted a moment from the evening and later discovered a man risked his life to save his. The whole time his mind perceived that everyone was trampling him and that no one would help him. It is amazing how the traumatized brain has the ability to cause us to see a false reality, one rooted in deception or mistruths. All the while it is so far from the truth. Sometimes the deception are lies we have believed about others or the world around us. Other times the deception are lies we have accepted as truth about ourselves. This is such a dangerous space because one traumatic event, one lie accepted concerning the world around us or ourselves really is enough to change us completely. If left unchecked, as it often times is this becomes a stronghold, a normal way of thinking and we don’t even realize we consistently have been rehearsing a lie to ourselves. So much so it has changed us, changed our personalities. We see this in same dynamic taking place in this episode with Dr. Frome. In the previous episode he was accused of misconduct with one of his patients. This caused him to completely question who he was as a medical provider and in a moment where his patient needed to be consoled he panicked and literally ran. This was so outside of his character and who he was as a doctor! This man goes over and beyond for his patients, but because of a traumatizing event in the previous episode it caused him to retreat and refuse to do something that previously he would have done naturally!
So my question to you is how has deeply distressing events changed you? Causing you to deviate from your natural path or nature. How has life caused you to begin seeing the world from a perspective that does not align with Gods truth? I’ve realized that I have found myself saying the same thing about a particular area in my life. I kept saying why do people keep “playing in my face!?” For those who are not familiar with that phrase, it just questions why people feel as though they can do/say anything to you. It wasn’t until I heard one of my friends say something very similar that a light bulb went off. In this moment Holy Spirit revealed a lie that I had bought into! At the foundation this lie suggests that I am viewed as lesser than and that people believe that it is okay to treat me poorly. How could this impact how I’ve been interacting with others!? The expectation is to be treated respectfully, and with kindness however experience would like to suggest others view me as something to play with and not to be respected as others are. If I chose to continue to buy into this deception this is going to impact how I see myself and the world around me? Is this making sense?! I want you to ask Holy Spirit what lies are you believing that are impacting how you navigate life.
If you have found yourself here, I want you to pray this prayer after you have identified a lie you have been believing. Lord, I renounce the lie that _____________ (insert the lie here) and I accept your truth concerning me. I accept that I am loved and valued by you and my acceptance of this reflects in how I interact with others. You have equipped me to guard my heart well and I do this from a place of safety and wholeness and not from a place of fear. In Jesus name Amen!
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