Life, Liberty, and Happiness: The Internal Revolution
The Preamble of the Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Declaration of Independence
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are what we all crave. The need for the human soul to have power over their own lives led to the American Revolution and is what leads us to an internal revolution against the effects of trauma that would hold us prisoner. It is what drives us to work through and beyond the devastating events that would steal our freedom.
So how do we win the war that rages within us after trauma? First, we must determine our objective: What motivates us to fight the fight?
The Pursuit of Liberty
An unalienable right is a right that cannot be taken away. Regardless of the efforts of others to take away our freedom, the right to it is still there. Each of us has an innate desire to be free to pursue a good life and the happiness that comes with it. When abuse, or any kind of trauma, strips us of freedom, those moments of powerlessness are hard to accept. Denial of the severity of our trauma keeps us trapped and depletes our freedom.
Accepting the effects of the trauma and that some things in life temporarily render us powerless is ironically a key part of reclaiming our power. But just as important is owning the truth that our freedom can never be fully taken away. We always have the freedom to choose what we will do with what we have endured. And that’s where the revolution starts—owning our right to choose the life we will build. Do we really believe we have the right to a life beyond what our trauma dictates?
Owning that right opens us up to dream and to pursue the happiness we deserve.
The Enemy of My Soul
“Give place no more for the enemy of my soul” 2 Ne 4:28 is a quote I ran across last week. Our internal revolution ultimately is a battle for our soul. To win that battle, we must answer two questions. First, who or what is the enemy of my soul? And second, the self-reflecting question, do I give place for that enemy to reside in me?
For me, the enemies of my soul are fear and doubt. The residual effects of the trauma of childhood abuse have left me fearful that I’m not good enough. Wrapped in that fear is doubt in my ability to really reclaim my life. Often, for victims of abuse, the doubt is in whether or not we deserve anything better. The enemy is a relentless voice of shame that can shake our very foundation. But we don’t have to give the enemies of our souls permanent residence. Owning the truths of our worth to our Savior can expel those enemies, no matter how powerful they seem.
Tamara W. Runia sheds beautiful light on the subject: “Shame is the voice that beats you up…Shame doesn’t tell us we made a mistake; it tells us we are our mistakes…You are not the voice in your head or the mistakes you have made…Feel that pull, the godly sorrow that turns you toward your Savior, and watch His grace enter into your life and the lives of those you love…The minute we bring a broken heart courageously toward Him, He is immediately there…The Savior is forever brighter than the darkness of shame.” Runia
We can “Give place no more for the enemy of [our] soul” and walk wholly in the love of our Savior and in the freedom He offers.
We don’t deserve to be in darkness.
The Pursuit of Happiness
Years ago, after a long battle with his health, my loving father-in-law left me with a final message: “Waste no time with regrets.” Lessons from a Second Father. No more regrets does not mean cowering from the pain we have suffered. And it does not mean beating ourselves up for not being what we think is “smart enough”, “strong enough”, or “faithful enough” to have stopped the trauma. What it does mean is replacing regret with hope that healing is possible.
I have learned that holding onto regrets is damaging and limiting. It keeps us trapped by the enemy. If we hold onto the pain and regret, we are turning away our greatest ally—Jesus Christ. No more regrets is about processing our pain and inviting the Savior into our souls to help us win this internal revolution. Choosing Him gives us the strength to fight the battles and ultimately win the war.
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are for every part of us, in every stage of our lives, regardless of the pain that haunts us. We can reclaim our freedom and find happiness in a life that is uniquely our own.
