I have served as a counselor now for many years. I wish I could say that in all those years I’ve become so proficient that I always witness obvious breakthroughs in every case. But that would be dishonest. Even with experience, I continue to meet people and face situations where the visible measure of my counseling feels inadequate.
Whether you’re newer to the work of soul-care or seasoned in ministry, you can likely relate: we hold our first session with someone, hope is apparent, and then — they don’t return, citing a different “fit.” Or we invest weeks, maybe months, with a couple who seem to be making progress, and then one comes in declaring they have consulted a lawyer. Or a counselee signs a safety contract, but we hear the next day that they’ve been hospitalized. Even worse, maybe many of these happen in the same week.
When the fruit of our efforts seems minimal, discouragement beckons. Our insecurities rise. Our focus drifts from loving God and serving others, to measuring our performance and fearing that we’ve failed. But it doesn’t have to end there. Even our Savior knows what it is to
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