Another thing that wounds your soul is:
2) Trauma
A tragic accident. A death in your family. The loss of a job or a financial setback. A divorce. A chronic illness. Your soul may be wounded because you were bullied when you were young or because you are a parent dealing with a rebellious child. You can even be traumatized if one of your loved ones is living through a long or difficult sickness. My family lived through many years of my mom’s chronic illness – and all of us were wounded by it.
Lessons from a Fellow Named Job
The Biblical character Job is a good example of some- one whose soul was wounded by trauma. Do you remember all the terrible things that happened to this poor guy? Raiders killed all his servants, stole his vast herds of livestock, and all his children were killed at once when a house crashed down on them. As if all that wasn’t horrible enough, Satan then attacked him, putting painful boils on his body from the top of his head to the soles of his feet.
Job was a righteous, godly man, but the trauma he experienced wounded him deeply.
How do I know? Throughout his story, Job mentions the word “soul” twenty-three times. Read through the book that bears Job’s name and you’ll find him saying that he is “vexed in soul,” “mourning in soul,” “bitter in soul,” and also, “my soul is being poured out.” Whenever Job expressed the excruciating pain he felt in his soul, it was in direct connection to the traumas he had suffered.
Job is not alone in his suffering! Everyone on this planet has lived through some type of trauma, which means we are all wounded to some extent. When your soul is wounded, all kinds of trouble can come into your life. This includes physical sickness and demonic oppression.
Concerning sickness and disease, the Apostle John wrote, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers” (3 John 1:2).
The condition of your soul can directly affect the health of your physical body. A good example of this can be found in the account of the man at the pool of Bethesda. You’ll find the story in the fifth chapter of the Gospel of John.
