Okay, so I had a humbling experience today. I was at Marshall's, looking at books, and I saw some great ones. I also saw some self-help books. As a future counselor, I look at these more, thinking that maybe I will read them so I can help people better later. I was looking at some, thinking of people who "needed" to read them. I thought, maybe I should get this book for them, and oh, this book will be great and will have wonderful points for this person. Then I stopped, thinking, "Huh--which self-help books are people wanting to pick up for me?" Ha! That stopped me from wanting to buy a self-help book for ANYbody. This makes me wonder--where is the line between helping a friend and interfering? When do we go from interceding with care and love for them to just being a busybody? I definitely feel that motivation plays a huge part here. People can be motivated with love for others or love for themselves, and that truly makes a difference. Counselors have to consistently monitor themselves so that they act with the right motivation. Makes sense, though. A person who is constantly self-monitoring will have better actions than people who are on autopilot. I just have to pray that God will speak through me when I speak to other people. I think I will follow Deborah's blog example...
Dear God, I pray that I will be a good counselor someday, working with a Christ-like and God-centered motivation, leading people to better mental, spiritual, and physical health. I pray that I will not lead people into temptation, but deliver them from evil, but at the same time, not take responsibility for them.
It's exciting to think that I get to do this stuff for real this fall!!! Wish me luck! ^_^
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3 comments:
Wow! It's like you read my mind. I have had the same conversation in my head time and time again. I'll be talking with a friend and they will mention a problem, and I think, "should I be a therapist in this moment or a friend?" Prayer is a wonderful ali. Pray a lot. Pray in therapy session, pray when talking to friends, pray when you meet hurting people who you could help, given enough time and the right enviroment. Pray that God will use you like Jonah, moving you as he commands, clearly and without excuse.
That’s a great prayer. It is a prayer for wisdom in how you work with people – seeing others as God sees them and responding to their problems the way God would. James says that if you ask for wisdom, God will grant your request! That’s a promise that will give you confidence as you move forward in your career of helping others!
I have no doubt in my mind you will be a fantastic counselor. God has blessed you with so many wonderful qualities, with one of them being a great listener. I am confident that you will pray for each person before they walk through your door for a session and you will continually lift them up to the Father as you help them deal with their junk. Do the same thing with your friends. The Spirit has a wonderful way of letting us know when we need to open up our mouths and when we need to keep it closed. You are a GREAT friend, which is one reason you will be a GREAT counselor.
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