Today I want to get into the subject of self-discernment, specifically the ability to discern what’s going on in your heart and what you need for healing, especially when it comes to healing from trauma. It involves addressing how you see yourself, and I pray that what I share here will help you see yourself the way God sees you. 



When it comes to healing from trauma or working through any mental health battle, how you see God and how you see yourself is incredibly important. Today I want to get into your lens and ask, “How do you see yourself? Is it really based on how God sees you? Or has something interfered with your lens that is keeping you trapped in unfruitful cycles?” Today I want to help empower the lens that influences how you see yourself, what you have been through the healing that is available.



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Self-Discernment for Trauma Healing



When you’re struggling—whether it’s anxiety that won’t let go, old wounds that keep surfacing, or relationships that feel impossibly hard—your first instinct is to figure out what’s wrong. But here’s what most of us miss: the lens we use to examine ourselves determines whether we’ll find healing or stay trapped in cycles of pain.



There are two fundamentally different ways to look at our struggles. One keeps us stuck, exhausted, and convinced we’re beyond help. The other opens the door to actual transformation.



Two Lenses for Self-Examination



When we’re struggling mentally, emotionally, or relationally, we naturally try to understand what’s happening within us. But everything hinges on which lens we’re using.



1. Shame-Based Examination



Shame-based examination is rooted in law and condemnation. It operates through three devastating D’s:




* Disqualifies – tells you you’re unlovable



* Dismisses – pushes you and what you went through away



* Disconnects – promotes separation from God, yourself, and others




Here’s what this lens produces:




* Defaults to judgment without mercy



* Inflames a hostile relationship with yourself



* Prioritizes flaws and failures



* Leads to panic reactions instead of sober thinking



* Makes you vulnerable to quick fixes



* Creates constant, unproductive introspection



* Drives performance-based striving with little healing



* Keeps you repeating the same cycles




Here’s the trap: When we try to discern our trauma-related pain through shame, we create a second layer of wounding. Layer One is our struggle. Layer Two is shaming ourselves about our struggle. Now you have TWO battles over ONE thing.



2. Compassionate Grace-Based Discernment