Resurrection. It’s a vital tenet of the Christian faith. Whether you are Christian or not, there are aspects of resurrection that you can apply to your recovery journey. First, I will give you an overview of what resurrection means to Christians. Context is always king.
“The Risen One is God’s final word about the universe and what God plans to do with all suffering.” Richard Rohr
After the Romans crucified Jesus, the New Testament states that he rose from the dead on the third day, a Sunday. Christians believe that Jesus was God in the flesh. Incarnation is the fancy word for it. The crucifixion of Jesus by Romans has much meaning attached to it. There are various atonement theologies, and I won’t get into them here. (If you are into that sort of thing, email me and we can converse.) Suffice it to say that Christians believe the death of Jesus was for humanity.
In the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament to Christians), God’s presence dwelt in a part of the temple called the holy of holies. A priest would go in once a year on Yom Kippur (the day of atonement) and offer a sacrifice. No one else could go in. The moment Jesus died the gospel accounts (the first four books of the New Testament) tell us that the curtain separating the holy of holies tore in two. That tearing in two is symbolic of access to God’s presence. Richard Rohr best sums it up when he declares that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection announce “universal access to God.”
The resurrection of Jesus means that death is defeated. Yes, we all still die, but there is a limit. We die once but live eternally. Our souls are eternal. We resurrect as Jesus, the Christ (Messiah) resurrected. Part of Jesus’ work on the cross is not yet actualized. One day death will finally be defeated. History is leading somewhere.
Now that you know the basics about resurrection, let’s apply it to recovery from childhood trauma. We all have a false self we constructed as traumatized children. Some of us have more defense mechanisms than others. They arise out of our false selves. However, God created us to live out of our true selves. The discovery of our true selves is an important aspect of recovery. Our true self is like the body of Jesus on that Friday two millennia ago. We buried who we are for survival, but our true selves will not stay in the tomb.
Death has to happen before there is a resurrection. We do not kill our false selves. They served a purpose once. We die to our need to live falsely through self-help practices, therapy, etc. (Whatever works for you may not work for me.) We unclench our fists and open our palms up. We surrender to the process and trust that we will emerge as people who live in truth.
“The Risen Presence always appears once your false self stops attaching, defending, denying, and blaming.” Richard Rohr
Help me expand The Possible Path by referring it to friends and family and sharing it on social media. I will send you a gift if you refer it. Click the button below to learn more.
You can support me on my Ko-Fi page with a donation.
If you need encouragement, email me at thepossiblepath@gmail.com.
Resources
The Immortal Diamond: The Search For Our True Self by Richard Rohr
Image by congerdesign from Pixabay