The Daily Memo | January 26, 2023 | He Makes All Things New

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Stuff that used to define us no longer has mastery over us. When you’ve relived those memories in episodic moments of healing through Jesus, it just doesn’t hold the same power over you. You don’t forget but you re-interpret. The healing journey is a series of discoveries. Discoveries of the lies that we believed about ourselves AND God. They make their way into our psyche through very traumatic moments. 

Research has shown that traumatic events, such as physical attack or abuse are interrelated with strong negative emotions, causing these memories to be very strong and more easily recalled than memories not associated with similar emotions, or even those connected to positive emotions. Chemically, this is because the emotional and physical stress caused by traumatic events creates an almost identical stimulation in the brain to the physiological condition that heightens memory retention. It excites the neuro-chemical activity centers of the brain that affects memory encoding and recollection.[i]

Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is irrelevant. It’s a fact and the neuroscience behind it is certain. In fact, our brains are wired in ways that they can also be re-wired to change those neural pathways in a completely different direction.  A direction that embraces love, acceptance, joy, contentment, and an acceptance of those past events but through the lens of Jesus. The lens of LOVE.

Craig Groeschel shared a perspective I completely agree with. “In the eighties, we were taught that love is a battlefield. Thank you, Pat Benatar. If you’re a bit younger, you learned the same lesson from Jordin Sparks. If you are even younger, you know Battlefield as a series of video games. But no, your mind is a battlefield, and the battle for your life is always won or lost in your mind……you cannot change what you don’t confront.”[ii]

When God does His work in each of us, we get the benefit of the deep healing that’s available when He makes all things new.

And that’s the Memo.

Steve from his upcoming book 90 Days on the Inside


[i] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_and_trauma#cite_note-12

[ii] Craig Groeschel, Winning The War In Your Mind

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