Guest Contributor - Kristen Vincent
Beads of Healing: Prayer, Trauma and Spiritual Wholeness
My story is never alone. It always leads to others. I will be speaking with a group, telling my story of trauma, pain, and healing, and inevitably someone in the audience will then share some part of their story with me. That leads to connection, conversation, new insights, and hope. Sister Kathleen Flood calls this a process of forming a complete picture of God’s love: as people share pieces of their stories, over time we craft together a larger story of God’s grace. We realize we are not alone. Better yet, we understand that pain does not define us, nor does it have the last word. God’s love has the last word, always and everywhere.
I spent years - decades even - going to therapy to try to heal from my trauma, and while the therapy was critical to my healing, there was always something holding me back. I was never able to move beyond a place of fear. It wasn’t until I brought my pain to God that I understood the spiritual aspect of my trauma. I had questions and feelings that only God could address. Once that happened, I moved from a place of fear to peace.
My hope is that Beads of Healing will help others see they are never alone with their story; their story does not define them. So too, I hope it helps people recognize that wholeness involves emotional, physical, and spiritual healing. If they can learn to speak their truth before God, heal their spirit, and experience God’s peace, then we will begin to hear their stories of peace. And Peace, indeed, will have the last word.
Beads of Healing – 20% off
Kristen has graciously offered readers of Whale Spouts a discount on her new book! You can get 20% off by entering the coupon code KVBOH17 either on the Upper Room Books website or through her Etsy shop:
