Positive triggers for emotional healing

God said to Moses, Go on out ahead of the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel. Take the staff you used to strike the Nile. And go. I’m going to be present before you there on the rock at Horeb. You are to strike the rock. Water will gush out of it and the people will drink.

Moses did what he said, with the elders of Israel right there watching. He named the place Massah (Testing-Place) and Meribah (Quarreling) because of the quarreling of the Israelites and because of their testing of God when they said,  Is God here with us, or not?

Amalek came and fought Israel at Rephidim. Moses ordered Joshua: Select some men for us and go out and fight Amalek. Tomorrow I will take my stand on top of the hill holding God’s staff.  Exodus 17:6-9 The Message

We all have triggers - people, events, circumstances, objects, pictures  or words that activate wanted or unwanted behaviors/emotions in our lives. The trick is to identify those triggers so we can head off the undesirable behaviors or use those triggers to initiate new behaviors.

For example, why do later-evening TV commercials advertise pizza or burgers? To trigger
that gotta-have-one-now response to run out to the fast-food restaurant that's still open and satisfy that craving we've just been reminded we have. Been there, done that..... And for some reason, those commercials seem to activate that craving even more when I'm trying to diet.

When I recognize that "binge" trigger associated with the late-night TV fast-food commercials, I can take steps to keep myself from acting on those impulses. I can call my daughters for a chat if it's not too late. I can work on a project during the commercials so my mind is occupied or even use commercial time to do some exercises. I can also pre-plan a healthy snack and go to the kitchen for it when a fast-food commercial comes on.

The commercials are negative triggers  for a binge eater just like being around friends who are drinking alcohol could tempt an alcoholic to take a drink after being sober for months. But are there positive triggers as well?

Sure! Think of a particularly inspiring song and how you feel each time you hear it.  When I was going through my own painful time of childhood abuse recovery, I loved the upbeat kids' songs on our local Christian radio station. Those songs always lifted the depressing gloom and left me in a better mood - they triggered hope, enthusiasm and faith in my heart. So I listened to them every time I could. I even recorded them for later listening.

Being the "counselor" that he is, God understands the importance of positive triggers in the healing process. At Rephidim, things are about to become more difficult for the ex-slave nation of Israel.

They've faced hunger and thirst. Now, they will face their first human enemy - the Amalekites.  
God gave his people numerous indicators of his love and care. He provided a physical presence with them in the cloud and the pillar of fire. He performed miracles and repeated  his message many times in a variety of ways that he would protect, deliver, provide for and  love them.  God also gave them the staff of Moses as a  visual trigger that would remind the children of Israel of his power and authority:

• God first used that staff to prove to the Hebrew elders that "I AM" had sent Moses to deliver them.  Moses threw down his staff and it became a snake. When he grabbed it by the tail, it became a staff again
• God used it to signal the beginning of the plagues as Moses struck the Nile and the water became blood
• God made a way where there was no way when he instructed Moses to hold up his staff at the Red Sea, parting the waters
• And now at Rephidim, God instructed Moses to strike the rock with the staff, causing water to pour out of the crack in the rock
• As they face the Amalekites, Moses  intends to take God's staff up onto a hill overlooking the battlefield so both the men who fight and the people who watch may see it raised up in his hands.

The sight of the staff is a positive trigger  of faith. It was intended to lift their depression, to remind them of the things God did before, to let them know he still intended to work on their behalf, to give them a sense of his power and authority and to motivate them to move forward in God's wake.

Think about your experiences on your healing journey. What kinds of ways has God proved his love, protection and care for you?  What positive triggers of faith has he given you?  (pictures, Scripture verses, music, books, people, etc.) How can you use those positive triggers effectively when negative events trigger the old behaviors of doubt, feelings of doomed or the urge to complain?

Wounded healers

Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? They are ready to stone me!”

The Lord said to Moses, “Walk out in front of the people. Take your staff, the
one you used when you struck the water of the Nile, and call some of the elders of Israel to join you.  I will stand before you on the rock at Mount Sinai.^[a] Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink.” So Moses struck the rock as he was told, and water gushed out as the elders looked on.

Moses named the place Massah (which means “test”) and Meribah (which means “arguing”) because the people of Israel argued with Moses and tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord here with us or not?” Exodus 17:4-7 NLT

Moses wasn't immune from the abuse of slavery that affected his people. Though the Scriptures don't tell us much about his early life,, there are some hints that it wasn't a bed of roses. We know he had a speech impediment, possibly a stutter, which may have been a result of  traumatic events in his childhood.

Though he grew up in Pharaoh's palace,  he witnessed the harsh treatment of his people. He was taught to look the other way, which in itself is a form of abuse.  Children who are forced to watch one parent abuse another parent often have as much healing to do as a child who is beaten themselves.

One day Moses saw this mistreatment up close and personal, causing something in him to snap. He lashed out in anger, killing an Egyptian taskmaster who tormented an Israelite slave. In fear he fled to the wilderness, where God directed him to Jethro who took him in.

Though we don't hear much about his healing process, we know it took God 40 years to work with Moses in the wilderness before he was ready to return to Egypt. God used the process of shepherding to teach Moses  the lessons of trust and then of leadership as he kept the sheep for his father-in-law Jethro.

But Moses still had issues, even after seeing the burning bush and going back to Egypt to lead his people out of slavery. His issues weren't so much with God or his power. He had trouble with patience. The attitude of his people mirrored his own impatient spirit.

It would appear that at Rephidim, God was trying to teach the entire nation not only to trust him, but to trust the healing process. He instructed Moses to take his staff and go to the Rock where God's presence was waiting.  We are reminded that this was the same staff that God used to demonstrate his power to the elders of Israel and them to Pharaoh to prove God had sent Moses to deliver the people. First it turned into a writhing snake when he cast it down. Later he struck the Nile, signaling the beginning of the plagues against Egypt, turning the water into blood. Moses held it aloft at the Red Sea and the waters parted. It bolstered Moses' confidence to hold that staff in his hand because it was a tangible reminder to him of God's power.

The Lord told Moses to take that staff and gather the people. He was to call the elders out so they would witness God's power and Moses's authority up close, reinforcing the idea of trust once again - not only trust in God, but in their leader. It also reinforced Moses' trust in the God who led him as he led the people to wholeness.

God's presence rested on that rock at Rephidim, yet Moses was told to strike it with his staff. It was a  strong visual to Moses and the Israelites of how his impatience in the process and their continuing inability to trust  hurt the Lord, but his presence  still provided what they  needed because he cared for them.

The Lord often uses wounded healers to guide those who are suffering from similar issues. You see, the healing process isn't always about us as individuals, but about healing a "nation" of people. God continues to work in the life of the healer or leader, just as he is working in the lives of those who follow so that one day they can become the leaders, mentors or healers who trust him.

This is the trademark of our God and his power! He has the ability to work ALL things together for good and for wholeness - at the same time. We often are hurting so badly, we only see what he's doing in us. 

Take a look around you.  Where  do you see yourself in this process? And what is God doing in the lives of others as well as your own as you heal?