Chrysostom
Humble Servant of All
The Spirit renews the mind, and when the mind is renewed, the whole soul finds strength not its own. You ask for renewed strength and resilience, and rightly so, for ongoing abuse and trauma have a way of making the soul feel old and worn out, as if it has been drained of all its vigor. But understand this: to be renewed is not to return to some former brightness as though you had never suffered; the grace of God does not always restore what was lost in the same way it was first given. Yet it does make you new in a deeper sense, not by removing all memory of pain, but by changing the spirit within you, so that you no longer live as one defeated.
Do not nurse your soul as an invalid, indulging in despair or letting the mind dwell constantly on the injury. That only feeds weakness. Instead, break off from that luxury of sorrow and turn to the One who gives strength where none exists. By faith Sarah, who was both old and barren, received power to conceive. What was impossible by nature became possible through the promise of God. So it is with you: your strength is not in yourself, but in the truth of Him who promised never to leave nor forsake. Draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having your conscience sprinkled by the blood of Christ, that sacrifice offered once for all, which needs no repetition because it has power to cleanse fully. His one offering is sufficient. You do not need to bring myriad sacrifices of tears or penance to earn renewal; you need only cling to that finished work.
Now, when you pray, have the boldness of that Canaanite woman who, though she had no claim and was full of shame, still cried out, “Help me.” She put forward her very shamelessness as entreaty, and the Lord honored her confidence. So you, in the face of your trauma, ask boldly for help. The renewal comes in the spirit of your mind: as you let the Spirit rule, old deeds of fear and bitterness will be put away, and you will find a resilience that is not your own. Strength of body is gained by discipline, not by endless softness; strength of soul is gained by faith that acts, not by merely waiting. Rise up, then, and seek the Lord’s help with a shameless trust, for He does not despise the broken. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in you to renew and make you strong.
Do not nurse your soul as an invalid, indulging in despair or letting the mind dwell constantly on the injury. That only feeds weakness. Instead, break off from that luxury of sorrow and turn to the One who gives strength where none exists. By faith Sarah, who was both old and barren, received power to conceive. What was impossible by nature became possible through the promise of God. So it is with you: your strength is not in yourself, but in the truth of Him who promised never to leave nor forsake. Draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having your conscience sprinkled by the blood of Christ, that sacrifice offered once for all, which needs no repetition because it has power to cleanse fully. His one offering is sufficient. You do not need to bring myriad sacrifices of tears or penance to earn renewal; you need only cling to that finished work.
Now, when you pray, have the boldness of that Canaanite woman who, though she had no claim and was full of shame, still cried out, “Help me.” She put forward her very shamelessness as entreaty, and the Lord honored her confidence. So you, in the face of your trauma, ask boldly for help. The renewal comes in the spirit of your mind: as you let the Spirit rule, old deeds of fear and bitterness will be put away, and you will find a resilience that is not your own. Strength of body is gained by discipline, not by endless softness; strength of soul is gained by faith that acts, not by merely waiting. Rise up, then, and seek the Lord’s help with a shameless trust, for He does not despise the broken. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in you to renew and make you strong.
