Using Your Suffering to Live a Life of Purpose, Part 2

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Part 1 of this series discussed the condition of a suffering soul and a conduit to transform the pain, volunteer work.  Giving your time to others in  a position similar to your own can be a healing balm to your heart.  Volunteer work is also a restorative tool for people suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). 

!!!Caution!!!

Volunteering too soon after a difficult situation can be overwhelming.  Discuss your situation with the Volunteer coordinator of your chosen program or a healthcare professional before you start. 

How Volunteering Heals Your Suffering

A compromised soul is imprisoned.  If you are in this state, you will not be able to function at your full capacity because shame covers you like a transparent blanket.  This blanket of limitations prevents you from interacting with people in an honest and healthy manner because you fear they can see the dirty secrets of your past.  You are burdened with a false belief that others will be repulsed by you if they knew what happened to you.  These lies seen through shame lock up your purpose and volunteering can be a key to freedom.

volunteering connects you with mentors.  Reputable organizations with good leadership will have dedicated people that have an understanding and compassion for your/their cause.  This inspirational influence adds a dimension of hope to motivate a helpless soul.  It also unites people and erases loneliness and fear.

Volunteering gives a senseless act meaning and fills your being with purpose.  Your message to the people who hurt you says you refuse to be a victim of your circumstances.  You begin to touch people connected to your cause and they are Empowered by your example, this brings Peace to your lives and makes the world a better place.  The blanket of shame that once contained you is slowly lifted and your life is lived for a purpose bigger than you.  You are no longer contained in your small world but released from bondage because you become determined to make a difference. 

Suffering a traumatic event(s) can leave a person feeling victimized. This victimized mentality is another barrier between meaninglessness and purpose. Becoming a volunteer energizes people and allows them to feel valued.  When a person feels they are needed the shy unneeded persona of a victim is removed. This allows for a person to speak and take risks for another person's well-being. These acts transfer back to the broken soul of the individual and slowly mends the wounds of the soul. A victimized person can unknowingly be self-centered and see the actions of others as ways to hurt them. Helping others redirects these thoughts and working for a greater cause takes the focus off of self.

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Volunteering not only allows for you to provide acts of kindness that are satisfying to your soul.  Volunteering is also a place for your mind to find rest.  Your mind is taken off of your pain and mundane daily routines.  You begin to think about how you can serve others.  These are noble, true and virtuous thoughts that give the mind Peace.  God created humanity to serve each other with the gifts and talents He carefully choose for each of His creations.  You may not know how to sing, act, dance or even cook but each person has the ability to help another person through volunteering their time and giving their love.  Use your suffering to live a life of purpose.

References

Reclaiming Children and Youth: The Journal of Strength-based Interventions, v14 n1 p16 Spr 2005

The book of Philippians (NKJ)

Tunnicliffe, H. (2009). Volunteering - better than daytime TV any day!. TCE: The Chemical Engineer, (819), 32. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.

Resources

Helpguide.org (A great website filled with information about various mental and physical well-being articles)

Crisis Prevention Institute (An organization focused on crisis help and prevention)

Peace Corps (Volunteering in developing countries)

World Volunteer Web