"A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none."
"A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all."
-Martin Luther
Picture: A walk through the woods of Virginia.
Taken by me.
The picture above depicts the woods, stripped of their leaves due to the cold weather of winter. The trees are stripped bare of its earthly, colorful decor and void of life. Our text lists all the different reasons people come to counseling in chapter 3. The reasons vary and the needs are many, but one thing is for sure, these people are coming to YOU, the counselor, for help.
The last sentence in chapter one of Therapeutic
Expedition by Thomas and Sosin, it reads, "The benefit
of counseling that is biblically based is that life issues are confronted with
open acknowledgement of a Creator. His values, His perspective, and His ability
to redeem and restore.". I find this to be comforting, because if one is
truly called by God to be a counselor, then we already know that in our power
we are not able to restore or redeem another individual out of their pain and
sufferings of being human.
But, oh, how great is our God! In a world full of hurt and pain, our God gives His sons and daughters a calling to come out and to serve, to heal, to reveal, and to magnify His love and glory for all to see. Our textbook puts much emphasis for Christian counselors to be led by the Holy Spirit, and that in doing so, they will develop the love and resilience to stand firm and "be alongside" those who are hurting on this therapeutic journey. So that in hopes, as mourning bears through the night.....that joy will come in the morning. One may come into counseling broken, stripped of joy, and void of seeming-less life; but, what if they leave with a sense of hope? A new hope that will produce a new birth, a fresh breath of new life......wow, what a magnificent, unimaginable, incomparable beauty that will be!
Kenny,
ReplyDeleteAwesome picture application! It is so comforting to know that the Lord is the one who helps change others. That was something that I mentioned in my blog as well. People may be coming to us for all kinds of different situations, but it is important to view them as Jesus does and serve them to the best of our ability. I like how you discuss the importance of coming alongside of those who are hurting. I am reminded of Romans 12:15 which says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn”. The Lord tells us to be there for one another. Counseling is a great way to do that, and I feel blessed to have the desire to serve the Lord in this way!
Camille
Hello Kenny,
ReplyDeleteI have a few comments and a question for you. First, where is the verse in scripture that says, "joy is in the morning?" Second, I was encouraged when you mentioned that when one called by God to be a counselor, our attitude as called counselors should be that we have it in our power to help, heal, guide, and love those God has entrusted to our care! Lastly, I agree with you that we must allow the Holy Spirit to guide the helping relationship, because God ultimately knows all our hearts and the roots of our problems. Thanks for you thoughts and I look forward to reading your future blogs.