126 | When Yesterday Still Speaks: Gentle Healing for Wounds You Didn’t Know You Carried - Living On Purpose In Christ | Christianity, Biblical Encouragement, Aromatherapy, Devotions, Essential Oils, Journal Prompts

Episode Transcript
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Paula Behrens (00:00):
Something shifts the moment you realize this
truth.
Your reactions are not random,and your spiritual struggles are
not a lack of faith.
They are often echoes, echoesof moments when your heart
learned how to survive, how tostay safe, how to seek comfort,
and how to avoid pain.
I didn't realize my comfort anddiscomfort stem from my past

(00:24):
experiences as much as they do,and chances are you're
recognizing yourself in thatsentence right now.
Okay, stay with me until theend because I'm going to share
how you can personally plug intoa Christ-centered one-on-one
experience designed to help youlearn to rest in God's presence
with greater confidence andpeace.

(00:44):
But first, funny story.
During my early days as apastor, I found myself appointed
to a quaint little church inChappell Hill, Texas, a place
where the fields of bluebonnetsstretched wide and the charm ran
deep.
We had planned a beautifulsunrise service, believing that
watching the dark night give wayto dawn would be a perfect
backdrop to celebrate our RisenLord.

(01:05):
As the first streaks of lightbegan to paint the sky, we
started to sing one of ourbeloved Easter hymns.
Now I must tell you, our voicescarried all the passion of Good
Friday and the anticipation ofEaster morning.
We sang with conviction, ourhearts lifted high, especially
when we began singing, Up fromthe grave he arose.

(01:26):
But little did we know that ourcongregation was about to
expand.
Right on que, off in theneighboring pasture, the cows
began lowing and making theirway to the fence, where they
joined us in making a joyfulnoise into the Lord.
Watching the cows moo alongwith our singing was a reminder
that a longing to worship reallydoes extend across all of God's

(01:49):
good creation, whethertwo-legged or four.
Are you finding it challengingto maintain your spiritual
practices or yearning for a morepeaceful, God-aligned day?
I'm Paula, and I've been theretoo.
Balancing spiritual habits witha busy life can be difficult.
I longed for a deeperconnection with God but
struggled with consistency.

(02:10):
Then I found the perfectapproach.
If you seek simple ways todeepen your connection with God,
this podcast is for you.
Please take a moment to followthe show, leave a review, and
share with your friends who needa little biblical encouragement
today.
Hey friend, I know howexhausting it can be to chase

(02:30):
after a devotional routinethat's just not working for you,
constantly restarting with goodintentions while fighting
through distractions that keeppulling you away from God.
I've walked that path myself,that cycle of trying my best but
falling short.
That's precisely why I createdthe Aroma of Christ Coaching
Hour.
It's a sacred space where wework together to develop a peace

(02:51):
reset utilizing a complementaryessential oil sampler that I'll
send to you ahead of oursession.
This unique approach will bringemotional alignment and clarity
to your spiritual journey.
Imagine stepping into a rhythmthat truly refreshes your soul,
anchoring you in God's presencefor that lasting sense of calm
you've been craving.

(03:12):
This is your invitation to makeit doable today.
Turn your quiet time into asource of thriving
faith. Save your seat now for an Aroma of Christ Coaching Hour plus Peace Reset at PaulaBehrens.com/coaching.
That's Paula Behrens B E H R EN S .com /coaching (no spaces).

(03:33):
It's time to start breathingpeace into your walk with Jesus.
All right, let's get started.
Grab your Bible, dust off yourjournal, and cozy up to your
favorite beverage and let's divein.
Many Christians are quietlyconfused by their own reactions.
We love Jesus, we trustScripture, we want to live on
purpose in Christ.

(03:54):
Yet certain situations stillfeel heavier than they should.
Certain conversations make ourchest tighten, certain spiritual
practices feel nourishing whileothers feel exhausting.
Certain invitations from Godstir excitement while others
trigger resistance we can'texplain.
When this happens, we oftenassume something is wrong with

(04:14):
us spiritually.
But what if what's actuallyhappening is that your nervous
system is responding to oldexperiences that have not yet
been gently untangled.
God created us as whole beings,body, mind, and spirit.
Our faith walk does not floatabove our biology or our

(04:35):
emotional history.
It moves through it.
Scripture never suggests thattransformation ignores the body
or bypasses memory.
In fact, God repeatedly usesphysical reminders, sensory
experiences, and embodiedpractices to anchor His truth in
us.
From the smell of incense inthe temple to anointing oil

(04:57):
poured over heads, to breadbroken and wine shared in
remembrance, God understands thepower of the senses to help us
remember, heal, and remainpresent.
This is why understanding howpast experiences shape comfort
or the lack thereof is not adeter from spiritual growth.
It is often the doorway intodeeper freedom.

(05:20):
Comfort can feel holy.
We associate it with peace,rest in God's presence.
But sometimes comfort is simplyfamiliarity.
It is the emotional environmentwe learned to survive in, even
if it wasn't healthy.
Discomfort, on the other hand,can feel like danger, even when

(05:42):
God is inviting growth.
The body remembers what themind has long forgotten.
It remembers tones of voice,emotional climates, and moments
when vulnerability costs toomuch.
Without realizing it, manybelievers organize their
spiritual lives around stayingemotionally regulated rather

(06:03):
than spiritually responsive.
This is where God's kindnessmeets us in profoundly practical
ways.
One of the gentle tools God hasplaced within creation is aroma.
Scent is not just pleasant, itis powerful.
Our sense of smell is the onlyone that's connected directly to

(06:25):
the limbic system of the brain,the area that processes
emotion, memory, and survivalresponses.
This means aroma can shiftawareness more quickly than
words alone.
God designed it that way.
If you want to know whichessential oils to use, get in
touch with me.
I'd be glad to help.

(06:46):
The aroma freedom technique,often called AFT, is a
specialized form of aromatherapydeveloped by Dr.
Benjamin Perkis, a clinicalpsychologist.
It uses God's natural gift ofaromas to help individuals
gently navigate old emotionalwounds that are still affecting
them today.

(07:06):
Rather than forcing painfulmemories to the surface or
reliving trauma, AFT supportsemotional release while shifting
attention away from distressingthoughts, feelings, and
memories and towards safety,truth, and peace.
What makes AFT especiallymeaningful for Christians is its
gentleness.

(07:27):
Healing does not requireemotional overwhelm.
Freedom does not requirereliving everything you've been
through.
AFT creates space for the bodyto release what it has been
holding while the mind andspirit remain anchored.
It supports a positive andlasting transformation that
leads to greater confidence andfreedom to step into your

(07:50):
God-given potential.
As a certified Aroma FreedomTechnique practitioner, I want
to be very clear aboutsomething.
Using aroma in this way is notabout bypassing God or replacing
Scripture.
It's about cooperating with theway God designs your body to
respond to safety.
When the body feels safe, theheart can listen.

(08:11):
When the nervous system calms,the soul can receive truth more
deeply.
This matters profoundly forbelievers trying to fit faith
into busy days.
You don't want another heavyspiritual assignment.
You want something that meetsyou where you are, honors your
story, and gently leads youforward.
Aroma does exactly that.

(08:35):
Imagine beginning your quiettime not by forcing focus, but
by inviting calm.
A single drop of essential oilinhaled slowly signals to your
brain that you are safe.
As your body settles, scripturelands differently.
Prayer becomes less strained.
God's presence feels accessiblerather than distant.

(08:57):
Over time, those moments beginto retrain your internal
responses.
Scripture becomes associatedwith peace instead of pressure.
God's voice becomes associatedwith safety instead of demand.
This is not accidental.
It is discipleship at the levelof the nervous system.
Many Christians carry spiritualwounds they rarely name.

(09:19):
They learn to perform faith,they learn to stay composed,
they learn to minimize their ownneeds to keep relationships
stable.
Those patterns often formedearly, long before they had
language for them.
Years later, they showed up asdiscomfort with rest, resistance
to silence, or anxiety when Godinvites surrender.

(09:43):
AFT offers a way to approachthese patterns without shame.
It does not ask what's wrongwith you.
It gently asks, What did youlearn?
And is it still serving you?
That question alignsbeautifully with the heart of
Scripture.
God does not shame us for whatwe learned in survival.

(10:04):
He invites us into somethingtruer.
This brings us to a simpleGreek word that deepens this
conversation and anchors itfirmly in biblical truth.
The Greek wordanamnesis (ἀνάμνησις),
translated in the English asremembrance, goes much deeper
than what we would normallythink of when we hear that word.

(10:26):
It goes far beyond simplemental
recall. Anamnesis (ἀνάμνησις)refers to an active, embodied
remembering that shapes one'sidentity and behavior.
When Jesus says, do this inremembrance of me, he's not
asking his followers to thinkfondly of the past.
He's inviting them tocontinually let his life, death,

(10:49):
and Resurrection redefine theirpresent reality.
Anamnesis (ἀνάμνησις)acknowledges that memory forms
us.
It assumes that what weremember, what we repeatedly
bring into awareness, shapes howwe live.
This is why the Christian lifeinvolves intentional
remembrance, not because Godforgets, but because we do.

(11:12):
We forget who He is in momentsof stress.
We forget what is true when oldfeelings rise.
We forget our identity whendiscomfort feels familiar.
What's powerful is thatanamnesis (ἀνάμνησις) does not
deny past experiences, itreorders them.
It places Christ's faithfulnessat the center and allows

(11:34):
everything else to find itsproper place around him.
When paired with gentle toolslike aroma, this kind of
remembrance becomes embodied.
The body learns a new referencepoint.
The nervous system begins toassociate God's presence with
safety.
Over time, comfort anddiscomfort lose their old
definitions.

(11:55):
This is where freedom begins,not by erasing the past, but by
allowing God to reinterpret it.
When we ignore how pastexperiences shape our comfort
and discomfort, we oftenmisunderstand God's leading.
We assume discomfort meansdanger.
We assume comfort meansconfirmation, but scripture

(12:15):
teaches us to test, to discern,and to grow.
Jesus often led people intodiscomfort that resulted in
healing.
He also confronted comfortsthat kept people stuck.
The integration of aroma intoquiet time and spiritual
practice offers a compassionatebridge between theology and

(12:36):
lived experience.
It allows the body toparticipate in renewal.
It creates space for scriptureto settle deeper.
It supports emotional releasewithout emotional overwhelm.
This matters not just forpersonal healing, but for
community.
When we understand our ownpatterns, we become more patient
with others.

(12:57):
We recognize that reactions areoften rooted in history, not
hostility.
We learn to walk in graceinstead of judgment.
The church becomes a place ofhealing rather than performance.
Living on purpose in Christdoes not mean living without
triggers.
It means living with awareness,tools, and trust that God is

(13:19):
actively restoring what life hasshaped.
Each small moment of pause,prayer, and presence adds up.
Each time you choose to engageScripture with gentleness
instead of pressure, you areparticipating in renewal.
And this is where I want topersonally invite you into
something more intentional.

(13:40):
If today's conversation hasstirred something within you, if
you're realizing that yourcomfort and discomfort are
rooted deeper than you oncethought, then an aroma of Christ
coaching session may be thenext faithful step God is
placing before you.
Your one-on-one faith coachingcall with me includes a guided

(14:01):
aroma freedom techniqueexperience along with printable
journals and reflective guidesto help you continue the work
beyond our time together.
During our session, you'lllearn how to rest in God's
presence rather than strivingfor spiritual control.
You'll begin saying goodbye tolimiting beliefs that no longer
align with God's truth and sayhello to Holy Spirit-led

(14:24):
confidence and a deep,soul-satisfying peace.
You won't leave with vagueencouragement.
You'll leave with apersonalized rhythm for
spiritual growth and emotionalwell-being, one that fits into
real life and supports ongoingfreedom.
This is not therapy and it's notsurface-level coaching either.
It is Christ-centered,scripture-rooted, and gently

(14:47):
embodied.
It creates space for the HolySpirit to work without pressure,
without shame, and withoutrushing the process.
If you're ready to stop lettingyesterday quietly dictate
today, and you want support thathonors your faith, your story,
and the way God designed you, Iinvite you to plug into an Aroma

(15:08):
of Christ coaching session withme at PaulaBehrens.com
/coaching.
That's Paula BehrensB-E-H-R-E-N-S .com /coaching (no
spaces).
I would be honored to walkalongside you as God brings
healing, clarity, and renewedconfidence.
But before we go any further, Iinvite you to pray this prayer

(15:32):
along with me.
Lord, you see me fully.
My past, my present, and theplaces in me that are still
tender.
I invite your Holy Spirit toguide my discernment right now.
If this coaching hour is a stepyou are inviting me to take,

(16:00):
give me a sense of peace thatconfirms it.
If it is not for this season,give me clarity and patience to
wait.
I release any pressure todecide quickly.
I let go of fear, guilt, orstriving.

(16:20):
I trust that you lead megently, one step at a time.
Help me honor my heart, my bodyand my spirit as places where
you dwell.
I choose to follow your timing,your wisdom, and your peace.

(16:46):
In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.
Okay, friend, remember thatsmall steps add up, one breath,
one scripture, one moment ofsafety in God's presence.
That is how freedom unfolds.
Thank you for tuning in today.

(17:07):
And remember, just like settingbiblical boundaries, it's okay
to say no to things that don'tserve you well, like that third
piece of cake at the churchpotluck.
If you were blessed by thisepisode, be sure to share it
with a friend and leave a reviewso that we can reach even more
listeners like you.
Check the show notes for allthe links.
Join us next week as wecontinue to discover how to

(17:30):
live on purpose in Christ.
Until then, keepleaning into Him and walking in His Wisdom.
See you next time.

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126 | When Yesterday Still Speaks: Gentle Healing for Wounds You Didn’t Know You Carried

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