Pickle Heaven Press-James R. Johnson

something to help you laugh and think about life with Christ

Tag: trauma

frozen with fear — January 28, 2026

frozen with fear

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Someone told me, “You need to get in shape!”  I said “I am in shape. Round is a shape.”

OK I admit I am a mess in more ways than one!  Case in point!   Years ago, my wife observed something odd about me. She asked, “Why do you swing your left arm when you walk, but not your right?” 

Sure enough, as we walked my left arm would swing front to back in sync with my gait, but my right arm was fastened to my side, but I couldn’t explain why.  When I run, both arms are working but not when I walk.

Eventually I came up with the most plausible explanation.  I was ambushed and beaten several times on the walk home from school during High School.  It was terrifying and traumatic.  

The gangs would find me and surround me, but I couldn’t outrun them.  They simultaneously would bust me with their fists and then flee.  And I would pick myself up from the ground, brush away the tears and go home. 

I needed to defend myself, so I began to carry a small bottle opener with a sharp tip.  I carried it in the palm of my right hand.  I deliberately did not swing my right arm when I walked, in order to hide my weapon.

But here it is 50 plus years later and I still walk with my arm glued to my side. Fear has frozen it there.

Some people fear swimming, others flying.  Some avoid crowds while others being alone?  Some avoid hospitals and others public speaking.   Dig deep and you’ll often find a difficult experience that cemented these fears into our psyches.  Christ the Counselor can help! 

His disciples were on a smallish boat at night which was battered by the wind and waves.  That was scary enough, but then an apparition on the water approached them.  Matthew says, “They were terrified and said, “It’s a ghost!” and cried out with fear” – Matthew 14:26.

They were afraid of something they didn’t understand which is true of most fears.  And yet, that scary sight was Jesus.  He was right there in the middle of their fears.  

When we are afraid, we need to Know that Jesus is in the middle of the things that scare us.  There in the foreboding darkness is Jesus who wants to help us confront our fears. 

Jesus spoke to them, “Have courage! It is I. Do not be afraid” – 14:27. If they had known that their powerful Savior was there with them, they wouldn’t have been afraid.  Jesus’ presence is enough to assure us.   He said, “I will never leave you and I will never abandon you” – Hebrews 13:5.

Peter wanted to verify that it was truly Jesus, so he asked the Lord to command him to walk on the water to meet Him (14:28-29).  Jesus did, and Peter jumped out of the boat and tread the angry waves.  Once he knew that Jesus was present, he had the courage to walk towards the very thing that frightened him.  Likewise, We need to walk toward the fears that paralyze us.

Of course, we know what happened next.  Peter took his eyes off Jesus and locked them on the waves – and he began to sink (14:30-31). So, it is with fear.   Even when we have summoned the courage to walk on water, we will falter if we allow the thing we fear become our focus.  We need to fix our eyes on Jesus when our fears try to distract us.

Dr. Erwin Lutzer once said, “When we focus on the very thing that we are trying to get rid of, its power over us actually increases…But if your focus is on Jesus – on your obedience to Him, His power will flow through your whole being and drive away the fear.”

Hmm, maybe it’s time that I quit giving the Lord the stiff arm!

A PRAYER: Lord, I don’t want to be frozen in my fears.  Please thaw me out!

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you always.

Scripture references are from the NETBible ®

in the fog — January 22, 2025

in the fog

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My little family and I once lived in a trailer house that sat right next to an industrial plant.  Many mornings we would arise and find ourselves enshrouded in a fog.  I’m not talking about being drowsy. it was a soup-thick fog which was generated by the plant. 

It was an, “I can’t find my hand in front of my face” kind of a fog and we lived in it and breathed of it.  I was told that they manufactured formaldehyde there.  So, if there is a plus to this, it’s that I won’t need to be embalmed for my funeral.

To drive in it was impossibly difficult.  But you know what that’s like.  You have had to move through your own fog experiences.  And some of those experiences have had nothing to do with suspended water droplets. 

Ben just lost his job.  He was already behind with his bills.  The rent is due, and his wife has some big medical bills.  He just can’t see the way forward.

Ken just learned that his son is a frequent meth user.  Ken had no idea how it happened, nor what to do to fix him.

Annie’s husband was in his recliner watching TV.  She returned from the store, and he was still there – but a heart attack had stolen his life.  After she buried him, she spoke of a numbness that gripped her heart and soul. 

The trauma of the moment numbs us and fogs our senses, and we run the risk of having it become an enduring way of life. 

When trauma comes, we can find our way forward in much the same way we drive through the morning fog.  

I pump the brakes and slow the car down.  I turn on the headlights so that they illuminate the road ahead of me.  I become more alert and depend on my ears more than usual.  I might not be able to see a vehicle passing me, but I may be able to hear it. 

And though I usually don’t appreciate my wife’s directions when I drive, I lean on her to help me be aware.  She watches for wandering deer and looks for turns that need to be made.

So how does that work with traumatic loss? 

– Slow down.  Crisis tends to make us want to go faster as if by doing so we can get through it all more quickly.  It doesn’t work that way.  Slow down.  Be deliberate.   The prophet said, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength” – Isaiah 40:31 – KJV

– Use your headlights.  Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to walk by and a light to illumine my path.”  The Psalmist spoke of the Bible of course.  He tells us that it has the incredible ability to illuminate the obscure path before us, to give us insight and wisdom so that we don’t hit a tree or run off into ditch. 

– Listen more intently.  I tend to keep myself so busy that it’s hard to hear the voice of God.   The fog of trauma can be a blessing in that it forces me to slow down and tune my ears to what God is doing or may be saying to me.  James wrote in his epistle, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you” – James 4:8.  He is always available to us, but we need to move toward Him especially in times of trauma. 

– Lean on others for help.  It’s easier to drive through the morning fog when you have someone with you to help.  Unfortunately, trauma tends to cause us to withdraw, but what we need to do is engage, to draw from and lean on one another.  This is something we are expected to do.  Paul wrote, “Carry one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2)

Do these things and it won’t be long before the sun breaks through and burns off the fog. 

A PRAYER: Lord, please prepare me for the fog to come.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you.

Scripture references are from the NETBible ® unless otherwise noted.