Shield Sisters - Hidden Wounds, Quiet Battles - Loved Shack Session 3
Hidden Wounds/Quiet Battles
Shield Sisters - Session 3
Hidden Wounds, Quiet Battles
”The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
—Psalm 34:18 (NIV)
Opening Thought
Strength looks different on an LE woman.
It looks like composure when you want to fall apart.
It looks like silence when you want to scream.
It looks like “I’m good” or “I’m fine” when your heart is aching.
It looks like moving on even when something inside you hasn’t healed.
On a lighter note, something we learned in the Law Enforcement Chaplaincy Academy was the deeper meaning behind saying ‘I’m fine’ after a critical incident. F.I.N.E. can stand for Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional.
Shared with care and context, this acronym isn’t meant to make light of what you, our law enforcement professionals endure, but to acknowledge the very real emotional toll of the job. I learned this at the Sacramento County Law Enforcement Academy, and it’s stayed with me as a reminder that debriefing can bring clarity, connection, and even healing in the midst of darkness.
This week is about naming the truth:
Sometimes the strength you show the world is covering a quiet pain Jesus wants to tend to gently.
TEACHING / MESSAGE
Women in law enforcement are taught to be strong before they are taught to be human.
You learn how to:
• Hold your face still
• Steady your breathing
• Control your emotions
• Be the calmest person in the room
• Handle what others cannot handle
And those skills serve you well.
They protect your career.
They protect your life.
They protect the public.
But they can also hide your wounds so deeply that you forget they’re still there.
Strength becomes silent pain when:
• You stop talking about what hurt you
• You disconnect from people who care
• You numb instead of process
• You laugh things off that actually cut deep
• You move through life with unspoken grief
• You don’t allow anyone to know the heaviness you carry
Silent pain is still pain.
And Jesus sees it.
Every unspoken moment.
Every piece of emotional residue stuck to your heart.
Every memory you brushed aside to keep going.
He never asks you to pretend.
He never demands that you “power through.”
He doesn’t call your quiet pain weakness.
He calls it something He wants to heal.
Jesus is close to the brokenhearted even when they look strong on the outside.
He saves the crushed in spirit even when the crushing is hidden beneath authority and duty.
You don’t have to prove anything to Him.
You don’t have to explain why you’re hurting.
You don’t have to justify the weight you feel.
He simply wants to sit with you in the places you don’t speak of, and let His love begin to loosen what has been locked up for too long.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What does “silent pain” mean to you?
Do you find it easier to talk about physical exhaustion or emotional exhaustion? Why?
What are some signs that you are carrying more than you admit?
How does it feel to know Jesus sees the pain you keep hidden?
What would it look like for strength and vulnerability to coexist in your life?
SISTERHOOD ELEMENT: (If you’re joining us solely online, please send Chaplain Tammy with an Anonymous Message with yours so I can personally go to the throne and pray for your needs. I’m honored to do so.)
ANONYMOUS PRAYER CARDS
Give each woman a blank card.
Ask her to write one burden she’s been carrying silently.
No names. No details required. Just the weight.
Collect them in a basket.
Pray over them as a group.
These cards can be burned later (outside, safely) as a symbolic release if your group chooses.
This allows honesty without pressure.
PERSONAL REFLECTION (Take-Home)
Sit somewhere quiet this week.
Ask Jesus:
“What silent pain have I been carrying?”
Listen for His tenderness.
Write down whatever He brings up.
Let Him comfort you.
JOY PRACTICE FOR THE WEEK
Do one thing that brings gentle relief to your heart.
Not distraction.
Relief.
Examples:
• A warm drink in silence
• A walk without your phone
• A worship song that reaches your soul
• Lighting a candle and breathing deeply
• Sitting with sunshine on your face
Let joy touch the places pain once lived.
PRAYER
“Jesus, You see the pain I never speak about. You see the parts of my heart that feel worn, tired, or overlooked. Thank You for drawing close to me even when I stay quiet. Help me trust Your presence in the places I hide. Heal what has been hurting for too long and fill my heart with Your peace. Amen.”
LEADER NOTES
• Move slowly through this week. It is tender.
• Keep the room safe, calm, and gentle.
• Do not probe or push anyone to share.
• Celebrate every woman who speaks, even if it is small.
• Pray quietly over the group as they write their cards.
• Hold space for tears, silence, or deep breathing.
CLOSING BLESSING
May the God who sees in secret gently tend every hidden wound you carry,
and may His healing reach the places words have not yet touched.
May His strength rise within you for the quiet battles you fight:
the ones no one applauds, the ones only He fully understands.
As you step back into a world that asks much of you,
may His peace guard your mind, His courage steady your heart,
and His presence walk beside you in every shift, every call, every moment.
May you remember that you are never unseen, never unheard, never alone.
The One who called you to serve is the One who sustains you still.
Go in His protection, His comfort, and His unfailing love.
Amen.
Until next time…
We praise God for you and your service; never forget that.
Thank you for being Beautiful You!