Childhood Trauma and Predispositions
Can childhood trauma be a door for the devil to gain entry into people’s lives? This disturbing question was posed recently by a subscriber. I am no authority on doors or the devil but let’s consider the query for a minute.
It seems so unfair that children, through no fault of their own, suffer trauma in the way of abuse, neglect, poverty, or sickness, to name a few of the things that can befall a little one. It would seem that it’s equally fearful and cruel, to think then, that their misfortune also sets them up for increased spiritual heartaches, temptations, and pitfalls. Their teeth already are set on edge; must the bitter taste of their experiences bring forth the dark and rotten fruit of unrighteousness? They have already been kicked down and now is the devil able to use that to strike for the kill? As the Bible teaches, the devil is a roaring lion, and it likely defies our understanding how ruthless and deadly he actually is.
Childhood trauma leaves a physical imprint on the brain that affects how one thinks, feels, and reacts to stimuli. Emotional wounds and negative influences give a child lenses through which they see and understand the world. Messages are sent and received by children and they either learn to trust or they learn that no one can be trusted. A harsh and exacting caregiver sends a message to a child that those in authority are harsh; to satisfy demands the child must not make a mistake or learns to make sure everything looks good on the surface. An emotionally absent or neglectful caregiver sends a message that the child doesn’t matter, is not worth noticing, or is unwanted. A child subjected to physical and sexual abuse develops profoundly altered brain patterns that function on baseline values of toxic shame, misplaced guilt, and deep self-hatred. Core beliefs about the world, people, and the Divine are based on everything they’ve been subjected to.
Children that are hurting do appear to be at higher risk for self-soothing, suppressing, and repressing behaviors. They learn to cover up, make up, and avoid. They can have serious difficulties with relationships, notably their relationships with marriage partners and with God. These hurts and wounds set them up to encounter and fall prey to life’s darker side. It is evident how the devil could and does take advantage of this.
Children from hard places have the same power to choose as anyone else. Some use their trauma to their advantage and rise above the cards they were dealt, stepping from strength to strength. Others wallow, get stuck in the wound, and end up with a victim mentality.
Trauma is most certainly not a death sentence or a decree of lifelong dysfunction. Rather, it is an opportunity. With great struggle comes great victory. The deeper the darkness, the brighter the light. Those who have endured the valley of the shadow will have wisdom and insight that others will lack. Strength is acquired through battle. The more difficult the process whereby God’s love is learned, the more it is felt and appreciated. Most of this world’s great poetry, prose, and stories have come out of pain (consider the Bible for one example). Where there is a great lake of hardship, trial, and temptation, there is an even greater ocean of grace. Each and every soul is redeemable.
If we think that those who have suffered trauma may be more vulnerable to becoming victims for evil, then it should behoove us all to support them through authentic connection and show them who and what God really is and the power that is available to them.
BF
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