Around 1900, my Grandma Meta’s mom died when she was 4 years old. She was sent to live with an aunt and uncle who lived several hours away by horse and buggy. Her mother’s death and the sudden removal from her father and siblings were most likely traumatic for Meta. She must have felt abandoned.
I’m told Meta had asthma her whole life. As a teenager, my father remembered watching his mother turn blue as she struggled to get her next breath. There were no emergency rooms, nebulizers, or inhalers in those days.
In my memories, I picture Grandma Meta, a frail, smiling woman with a congested chronic cough, enjoying family visits. Grandma Meta died when I was 10 years old.
Studies show that children who face traumatic experiences, such as household substance abuse, exposure to violence, extreme economic hardship, and lack of parental involvement, are twice as likely to suffer from asthma.
When stress and anxiety are experienced, the body releases stress hormones that prepare one for “fight or flight.” The body reacts with a faster heart rate, shallow rapid breathing, and tense muscles. With asthma, the airways’ mucous membranes thicken, and mucous is produced, causing shortness of breath when an episode is triggered.
How I wish I could have known my Grandma as an adult and shared with her what I now know. I would tell her, “Grandma, those fears that took up residence in your child’s heart are lies. You were never abandoned. Jesus was always there with you, protecting and loving you.
He felt your grief and knew your fears. When you feel that fear coming on, fix your thoughts and your heart on faithful Jesus. And Grandma, thanks for always welcoming me with your hugs and your smiles.”
CONSIDER:
Do you suffer from traumas, experiences, and hardship that make you feel like an orphan or abandoned? What’s your heart or emotions saying to you? Could you write them down and tell them to God? This simple exercise of recognizing the trauma and addressing it with God begins the healing.
So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. (the lies) For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. Duet. 30:6