Part 4: The Trigger Trap
When the past shows up in the present.
You know that moment when something small hits way too hard?
You’re having a normal day, maybe even a good one—and suddenly, something is said, a tone shifts, a comment is made… and your chest tightens, your heart races, and you feel it.
That gut-deep reaction that’s bigger than the moment itself?
That’s a trigger.
A trigger is a present reaction tied to a past wound.
It’s not weakness.
It’s not drama.
It’s your soul saying, “This feels familiar—and it didn’t end well last time.”
There was a time in my life—in my first marriage—where being yelled at became something I internalized. I learned how to stay small in certain conversations. How to stay calm on the outside while bracing on the inside. That kind of environment wires your body to stay on edge, even long after the moment passes.
So it’s no surprise that for years after my divorce, my triggers were on high alert.
Even small things could send me into tears, anxiety, or right up to the edge of a panic attack. And honestly, if it hadn’t been for God’s Word anchoring me, praying in the middle of the night, and learning how to fight back with God’s truth—I might’ve been swallowed by it.
Those were real battles for me at one point in time in my life. And while they don’t hold the same weight today, they were loud for a long time.
By His grace, healing has come layer by layer. And today, even when those rare echoes try to speak—I know what to do with them. I don’t shove them down. I hand them over.
That’s what a trigger does.
It sneaks in through moments that seem small but are tied to something deep.
It brings up things you thought you were past… or hoped had healed.
And it reminds you where God still wants to breathe peace and truth.
Triggers don’t come out of nowhere.
They come from what never got dealt with.
And they can be sneaky and subtle:
A raised voice that reminds you of the way someone used to talk to you
A critical comment that reopens a scar you thought had faded
A silence that feels like rejection—even when no one meant it that way
They’re not always rational.
They’re always layered.
But here’s what I’ve learned:
You don’t have to live this way because something triggered you.
You don’t have to stuff it, fake it, or spiral.
You can learn to listen.
To pause.
To invite God into that place where fear used to lead.
What to do when a trigger hits:
Pause and acknowledge it.
“This is more than just what’s happening now. What is this poking at—and why?”Ask God to help you trace it.
“Lord, what is this really connected to? What memory, belief, or hurt is still unhealed that I may not even be aware of? Is there any unforgiveness still lingering in me?”
Don’t shame yourself for the response.
Triggers are signals—not signs of failure.
They point to where healing is still unfolding. And the beautiful truth?
They can and will heal.Choose a different reaction.
You’re allowed to pause before responding.
You’re allowed to reset.
You’re allowed to grow.
Just like we learn over time to stop giving anxiety a voice,
we also learn how to stop letting our triggers speak louder than truth.
They’re echoes from the past—not declarations over your future.
But I want to remind you of one this: the enemy? He’s subtle.
He’ll whisper, “This is urgent. This is real. You better react now.”
And before you know it, your nervous system is running the show—when God’s already spoken peace over the moment.
But hear me when I say this:
You don’t have to bow to what triggered you.
You don’t have to obey what fear tells you.
You don’t have to relive what Jesus already died to free you from.
He didn’t go to the cross so you could stay stuck in patterns of pain.
He came to carry every part of it—your scars, your triggers, your tangled thoughts.
And He came to heal them all.
Where do you start?
With surrender. Letting it go.
If you hold it tight, it won’t heal.
If you bury it, it won’t go away.
If you hold onto unhealed wounds they become infections. And infections spread.
So today, if there are triggers that keep rising in your life…
Write them down.
Bring them into the light of God’s truth.
And ask God:
“Where did this begin, Lord? And what areas of my life need healing?”
It might take time—some things do.
But I promise, it doesn’t have to stay your norm.
Because He is able.
“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us…”
—Ephesians 3:20–21
That word “power” in the Greek?
It’s dunamis. A power house word!! And one of my faves!
Resurrection-level.
Chain-breaking.
Anxiety-silencing.
Trigger-dismantling power.
The same dunamis that raised Christ from the grave is alive in you.
It’s working in your body, your memories, your healing.
So if the old pain still tries to speak,
let His ‘dunamis’ power speak louder.
You are not the words that were spoken over you years ago.
You are not the failure the enemy tries to replay on loop.
You are not stuck.
You are not broken beyond repair.
And you are absolutely not forgotten.
You are loved.
You are healing.
You are His.
There is more for you than fear.
There is peace beyond the triggers.
There is healing on the other side of surrender.
And you’re walking in it—one brave, Jesus-led step at a time.
Coming Monday: Part 5 – Lies That Fuel the Fire
What anxiety tries to convince you of—and the truth that breaks it down.