Resources

Introduction to Counseling

Why seek counseling? Learn why people struggle and why they change and let go.

Written by Rebekah A. Johnston, Copyright 2006

Why do people struggle?

People have struggled since the beginning of time. In fact, struggling is a part of life. We struggle with problems and with others.

Often we struggle with ourselves, but more importantly, we struggle with God. Some of us have learned how to struggle in a healthy and resourceful way to make progress in this journey called life. For many of us, however, we resist the struggle, the pain, and the suffering.

By understanding God's perspective and learning the necessary skills, we can let go of the pain and struggling. Surrendering to God allows Him to transform our lives into what He desires for us.

As we turn our lives over to Him, He can do for us what we cannot do for ourselves, because He knows our true needs, which are often hidden from us.

Why change and let go?

Change is not merely moving onto the next situation. Often times we move on without dealing with our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual pain. Healthiness occures only when we have delt with all these aspects of our lives.

We change because life is not working for us... because we desire a better life... or because of experiencing pain. Comfort zones do not motivate change. Yes, there is such a thing as "good pain."

We change because we remember our past sorrow, remember God's faithfulness in the past, and therefore, we can grieve the past betrayal of man, experience Christ's redemptive power in the midst of our pain... and thus experience restored hope and a changed future.

Why seek counseling?

We seek counseling when we see that we are making little progress on our own. We begin to see that life patterns are causing us more pain and destruction than joy and fulfillment, and relationships wound us instead of nurture us. Did you know studies show that married couples come into therapy 6 years too late?

Recognizing destructive patterns is the key to dealing with much of the pain in our lives. We all have problems and most of the time, with God's help, we can resolve them. However, the outside help and influence of a trained counselor may be needed when we continue to repeat the same destructive patterns, even though life is not working for us.