Joni and Friends Warrior Getaways are changing lives and bringing hope to those struggling with PTSD. Find out more at joniradio.org.
Visit joniradio.org for your free copy of the pamphlet "PTSD: Healing for Bad Memories" and watch Josh and Stephanie's story at https://youtu.be/CHUCf2GDz0s.
Let me share the story of one brave, yet very wounded soldier.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and I want you to get to know Josh. When he joined the Army, he served in the infantry from 2007 to 2015, seven years which included two deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. There in the thick of war, Josh describes his combat experience as “hell on earth.” He returned with back injuries, a traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression. Josh began to withdraw and isolate from his wife Stephanie and their daughters. There was anger; pain; sleepless nights; erratic behavior – everything that goes with physical, mental, and moral injuries. And this family was in crisis; the situation seemed hopeless. But that’s when Stephanie turned to Joni and Friends – after all, our ministry serves families that struggle with disabilities, and that includes soldiers like Josh who bear the wounds of conflict. Stephanie convinced her husband to come to one of our Warrior Getaways. He wasn’t happy about the idea at first. But I guess he thought, “what could I lose?” What could they lose? And at our Warrior Getaway, Josh was transformed. In a peaceful setting, Josh and his wife and daughters had a chance to, well, just to heal. Relax. Enjoy the outdoor activities. Connect with other warrior families and be refreshed by really great Bible teaching.
At the close of our Warrior Getaway, Josh said, “There’s nothing – nothing – that can prepare you for the reality of war. Without Joni and Friends, my marriage would have been over a long time ago. Coming to Warrior Getaway [has been] the best thing for me and my family. It’s holy ground [here], meeting with other Warriors. I’ve never felt more open, real, and authentic than when [I am] in the Warrior support group. And the ‘secret sauce’ is Jesus Christ the whole time.”
Oh my goodness, when I read what this wounded veteran had said, my heart filled with joy because all of us at Joni and Friends love ministering to these Warrior families who have sacrificed so much for our nation. The wounds of war – both visible and invisible – can feel overwhelming, insurmountable. But as Josh says, the “secret sauce,” as he puts it, is Jesus! Jesus suffered in our place and he understands every soul that’s been ripped to shreds by hellish circumstances.
Pastor and counselor Dr. Timothy Lane says, “Jesus’ suffering and death was not the end. He also rose from the dead. [And] His resurrection is your guarantee…” A guarantee that one day suffering will be gone; but the resurrection also guarantees that people who are suffering now – people like Josh – can overcome, for, as it says in Ephesians, “that power [that is, resurrection power] is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead.” Right there, friend, you’re assured the mighty strength of the resurrection to help you be more than a conqueror; power and strength that will more than help you push through your suffering until heaven sweeps it away. Now, I have borrowed these insights from Dr. Lane in his wonderful booklet called “PTSD: Healing for Bad Memories.” June is PTSD Awareness Month, and perhaps you know someone struggling with posttraumatic stress disorder. Or maybe you are battling the effects of trauma. Well, I’d love to send you a free copy of Dr. Lane’s booklet. Just ask for it at joniradio.org. And while you’re there, watch a really great video with more of Josh and Stephanie’s story. Again, that’s joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends