PTSD Awareness Month
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and welcome to Joni and Friends.
You already know that our ministry is deeply invested in reaching for Christ people with disabilities and their families. And when I say disability, I mean not only about people who use wheelchairs, white canes and walkers; I’m talking about people – strong, able-bodied people – who have invisible disabilities. Like Ryan. And, oh, did I say strong? You see, Ryan is a full-fledged colonel who served three tours of duty during the Iraq war. Handsome, capable, decisive, athletic…Ryan cut a pretty sharp picture in his uniform, holding his rifle. And when he stepped off the plane, returning home after his third time in Iraq, he looked just as sharp and handsome. His wife, Linda, was praising God that her prayers for her husband’s safety were answered. Miraculously, Ryan survived countless attacks on his unit, coming home with hardly any battle scars. At least…physically.
Linda had no idea the scars Ryan was dealing with far below the surface of his smile. She first realized there was a problem when, one afternoon in the backyard, their little boy was playing with the family dog. Ryan was sitting on the backyard steps watching his son at play; but suddenly, when the play between boy and dog got a little rough – even just a little – Ryan sprang into action, beating back their dog with his foot. His son was stunned; I mean, it was all in good fun; the family all knew that their dog didn’t have a bad bone in his body. But that didn’t matter. Amidst a tirade of cursing and kicking, Ryan completely lost it. That was the first indication that something serious lay below the surface. And that something turned out to Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, or PTSD. The run-in with the dog led to more serious run-ins with mailmen and store clerks and even his wife. Ryan needed help.
Thank the Lord, people like this American service man and his family are very typical of the families who attend our Wounded Warrior Getaways at Joni and Friends. Over the years, we have ministered the love of Christ, as well as solid Biblical counseling to hundreds of men and women like Ryan. Because these are people who have disabilities. True, the problems are often different than the ones we see at our typical Family Retreats, and that’s why we designed Wounded Warrior Getaways. When our Biblical counselors sit down with a serviceman like Ryan, they are guided by Proverbs 15 where it says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable.” Christ is a gentle shepherd; Christ never stirs up ungodly anger; when wise Christians convey knowledge about Christ, wounded people like Ryan find Jesus more than acceptable.
Look, you may know someone with PTSD – if not, a serviceman, then perhaps a firefighter or law enforcement officer: people who have seen and experienced too much violence; too much sound and fury. If so, I want to offer you a wonderful booklet about PTSD and I want to share it with you in the spirit of Proverbs 15. The insights will truly help you understand and support your hurting friend or family member. Just write us today at joniradio.org and ask for your free gift about PTSD. So, come to Joni and Friends where gentle answers turn away anger.
Previously aired on 8/19/11 as program #7645
© Joni and Friends
PTSD
PTSDThe event occurred in the past, possibly many years ago, but you still carry it with you wherever you go. Some days the memory keeps replaying over and over again in your mind. You feel angry, jumpy, maybe even guilty or ashamed. You want to move on with your life and wonder why you can’t just “get over it.
With wisdom and compassion gleaned from many years of counseling, Timothy S. Lane walks with you through this difficult struggle. As he unpacks God’s message to you in the Bible, you will begin to realize that you are not alone in your struggle. Christ, who Himself suffered intensely, is with you. You can trust him to guide you through the gradual process of healing.
