The ministerial retreat programming I experienced this week centered on trauma-informed ministry, and a term came up that I’ve spent a bit of time with over the past few years: trauma stewardship. The concept of being good stewards of trauma recognizes that we all experience some degree of trauma in our lives, and the goal is to be good stewards of our trauma rather than ignore it or allow it to define us.

Some people push back at the suggestion that they’ve experienced trauma. Sometimes we minimize it by calling it “stress,” because we’ve been taught that there’s something shameful about being “traumatized.” I hope we can collectively move past that unhelpful learning. Being good stewards of our trauma (or stress or woundings or whatever terminology you feel most comfortable using) is one way that we listen deeply to our selves. 

When we listen to our selves well and respond with compassion, we stand a better chance of maintaining our covenantal commitments and acting with integrity to the values we affirm. With that in mind, I wanted to share a graphic from the Trauma Stewardship Institute. Maybe something here resonates with your experience, and maybe something here offers you a possibility that hasn’t occurred to you. That is, at least, my hope. 

You can find more resources from the Trauma Stewardship Institute at https://traumastewardship.com/.

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