In the first chapter of Healing for Damaged Emotions David Seamands’ begins by describing the experience of preaching his first sermon on the topic of healing damaged emotions. In the audience was Dr. Smith, the pastor of David’s boyhood, now long retired. After the service a moist-eyed Dr. Smith approached Seamands saying: “You know, there was always a group of people I could never help… No amount of advice… scripture or prayer ever seemed to bring them lasting deliverance.”
Seamands then describes the human condition, by comparing it to how a naturalist can demonstrate the life history of a giant sequoia by looking at a cross section of the tree and examining its rings. Years of health, and years of damage to drought or fire can all be seen – all protected by the outer layer bark. "And that’s how it is with us" says Seamands. Just a few thin layers below the “protective bark” lie the scars of living with an alcoholic father, or an abused childhood, or the loss of a loved one.
David Seamands is a pastor. Nevertheless he is quick to point out that as valuable as an experience with Jesus can be, it is not a short cut to emotional health. He states: “Certain areas of our lives need special healing by the Holy Spirit. They are not subject to ordinary prayer, discipline, and willpower… And this is not done overnight by a crisis experience.”
He continues that people need to be mindful not to go to either of two extremes in seeking solutions to our problems. The first extreme is to blame our problems on an outside evil force. The second is to reach for an overly simplistic pat-answer as our solution. “The devil is really after me” or “if I (or you) only read the Bible and prayed more, had more faith you would never have such feelings”. Seamands says: “People who say such things are being very cruel. They are only piling on more weights on a person who is in pain and unsuccessfully struggling with an emotionally rooted problem”.
Seamands does believe that the Gospel has a message for emotionally damaged problems. He provides two questions that need to be asked of oneself: 1. What is our part in the healing of damaged emotions? 2. Just what are you and I supposed to do in this healing process? Seamands gives six Biblical principles to help find answers to these problems:
- Face your problem squarely.
- Accept your responsibility in the matter.
- Ask yourself if you want to be healed.
- Forgive everyone who is involved in your problem.
- Forgive yourself.
- Ask God to show you what your real problem is and how you need to pray.
One lesson that that I have learned along my journey is that easy answers do not usually solve most of life’s problems. Solving our emotional problems takes hard work, understanding of our core issues, and help from those around us. I truly believe that healing is available for all who need it. But, are we willing to do “whatever it takes” to achieve it?
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