The Light at the end

There is a light at the end of the darkness.  His name is Christ Jesus.  Though the darkness has often tried to overcome Him, it has failed.  His light still shines over all the earth.  He has promised to never leave you or me, but to always be with us, every step of the way.  He has promised to return one day to once and for all flood this world of darkness with a light that cannot be hidden.

That is our hope in the midst of all the pain and struggles we endure in this life.  The pain we now endure will end (Rev. 21:4). The struggles we must endure will end.  The depression, the addiction, the loss of self-control, all of these will end.  And we know that time is soon to come.  It is truly our message of hope, our comfort, and yes, even our joy.

Remember that Christ is with you every step of the way, even as you endure, or have to watch others endure, the pain of this life.  He is bigger than any problem we can endure.  He has given His life so that we can now overcome too, and He lives to give us that guarantee.

Here are the articles from this week in case you haven’t had a chance to check them out yet.  Be sure to come back next week!

Family Connection-April 29

Look!

When to turn for help

Where to turn

Where to turn?

The next discussion that needs to take place is where to turn for help.  It is important that you read through the two discussions that have led up to this point though.  So, please read these first…Look! And When to turn for help?

Alright, you’ve read the background discussion…now it’s a matter of taking action.  It’s very,very important that you know who you are talking to and the kind of care they will provide.  This includes their view of the Christian faith, and if it is brought into their line of work and how.

So, for starters, a couple definitions of different professionals in the area of mental/emotion health.  Psychiatrists are actually medical doctors who have gone through years of education to get their M.D.  They are board certified and are allowed to prescribe medicine.  Psychologists have either a Ph.D. or a Psy.D.  They too are certified, however, they do not have the legal right to prescribe medication, unless they have their M.D. as well.  Psychologist are often who people think of when they are seeking professional mental help.  The next level of professionals, meaning those who have undergone specific higher education and are certified or recognized by a governing body, would be Master’s Degree therapist.  These would include Marriage and Family Therapists, Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselors or Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse counselors, Social Workers with an MSW, and the like.  They have studied, done research, and received a degree in their specified field.  Their education just has not gone beyond the Masters Degree level.

From here, the amount of education and certification by a governing body becomes less or non-existent.  This would include people who just go by “counselor” without any formal education, life coaches, or mentor/mentor couples.  There are some very gifted and talented people who are great assets within the Body of Christ to provide help in this area that are not formally educated, trained and recognized.  However, there are also many who are not gifted and talented, but still try to help in this area.  This can actually result in more harm than good.  So, it is extremely important that you know the individual and who is recommending their services.

Knowing who to turn to is only part of the equation, finding the help is the other part.  Here are some avenues you can try to locate professional help.  Your local pastor usually has a list of professionals in the area that he feels comfortable referring individuals under his spiritual care.  If that is not the case, you can check with the local university who will usually have contact information for an area counseling center.  If you use this route, be sure to include your pastor in the discussion, as will be identified below.

Finally, if those avenues do not work you can go to the American Association for Christian Counselors (www.aacc.net/resources/find-a-counselor).  Remember, just because they are a  Christian Counselor does not mean they will line up with your beliefs about the Christian faith.  Ask your pastor what questions they would ask of the Christian Counselor, or ask them to make the connection for you, so you know what the counselor is going to say and do lines up with your beliefs.  Some example questions would include, “How do you see our sessions working together with the spiritual guidance I am receiving from my pastor?” Or, “What impact do you see the love of God, shown in the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, having on my continued transformation toward better mental, emotional and spiritual health?”  It is very important that what you are hearing from your pastor and from your counselor work together and are not at odds with each other.

Also, remember to ask what is going to happen.  What will the first session be like?  How does the counseling proceed?

Always remember to be praying for yourself, and if it is the case, for the individual seeking help.  It takes a great deal of wisdom and courage to seek professional help, something God provides in His Son Jesus Christ.  It is God who works through professionals to bring us back to health and joy.  In Him our faith and trust rests.  As He said in Matthew 28:20, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  He is there beside us every step of the way, in the darkness and in the light.  Thanks be to God!

Look!

This week we are going to be discussing the importance of seeking help, especially when it concerns one’s mental or emotional health.  This could be talking over the loss of a loved one to seeking help for severe depression.  The importance of this cannot be diminished.

Here’s part of the problem.  We don’t often know what we actually need help for.  This is usually based on not knowing how bad an issue truly is.  We try to write off the pain we are dealing with, physically or emotionally, as something that will pass.  Sometimes we even try to quote Scripture in doing so, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 typically show up somewhere in the discussion.  Its true, some pain will pass with time.  But, too often the pain we are trying to dismiss doesn’t, and we go on with it year after year.

Or, another part of the problem is that we don’t want to admit that we need help.  It becomes a matter of pride.  “I can work my way out of this.”  Or, “They can’t help me anymore than my buddy down the street.”  What’s interesting about this is that’s not how God created us to operate.  Go to Ephesians 4:2 for a second.  What does that seem to say about this?  We are in this together.  If you’re feeling pain, I’m feeling pain.  If you’re celebrating, I’m celebrating.  That’s part of being called into the one body of Christ.  We are in this together.

Sadly, a third problem often encountered is that an individual feels they are the only one who has ever experienced this.  Here, it would be appropriate to quote Eccl. 3:1-8.  If we are experiencing pain or struggle, somebody before us has most-likely experienced it as well.  There are very, very, very few things in this life that can be considered rare.  In fact, most of the issues people struggle with in marriage, in parenting, as an individual, co-worker, whatever, are actually normal for people in each of these vocations.  It’s part of living in a world full of sin.

But, as Christians, we have hope in Christ Jesus that all things can be redeemed.  Even we have been redeemed in His death and resurrection.  There is hope in Christ.  There is always hope in Christ.

This week we will begin looking at ways we can help each other out, and we can help somebody seek help.  So, please be sure to come back.  Go ahead and check out the Family Connection for this week as a good opportunity to get the conversation rolling.

Family Connection-April 29