Monday, Monday

For the past 8 Mondays, Brian and I have been driving up to Lafayette for counseling training at Faith Baptist Church. We have 3 more to go.

When I signed up to do it, I did it thinking there may be times when Brian may have to counsel a female and may need me in the room just because you can't have a male counselor with a female counselee. That was the only reason. I never felt like I would counsel. Never resisted going to the training but never felt like I was going for me. I felt like I was going to support him.

I have to say now that it ranks up there as one of there best things I have ever done in my life as far as growing spiritually! I can't tell you how much I have learned and how much I have been transformed in what has been a transforming summer!

We have had learned about parenting, marriage, depression, guilt and will learn about trials and suffering, anger and divorce. The teaching is incredible. But the best part is sitting in on the actual counseling cases with the counselors.

My cases have included marriage counseling, personal struggles, drug and alcohol addictions...and one case, you name it, she had it! Wow! There wasn't anything I could have added to her case to make it more complicated, more heartbreaking. Many of these people had been arrested or been in jail or been abused or basically hit ROCK BOTTOM and that's why they were seeking help. Most had already sought help from a secular counselor or treatment program too.

It has been amazing to me to see these people's lives and their situations change. They change because they want to change and they are doing their homework which is all based on God's word.

Last night, I had two extremes...a young man, his story was one of he wanted to get out of the rut of drug and alcohol addiction. He had been arrested and lost his job because of it. He wanted to change his life. He had been doing his homework, he had been going to church, he had been sharing with friends that he was going to counseling to get help, he was excited to change but he couldn't remember a time when he had ever asked God to forgive him of his sins and to have Jesus come into his life and be his Lord and Savior...so last night with the counselor, he prayed that prayer. He was so excited to start anew. He said, "I'm gonna remember this day forever!" He even remembered the time. 7:05 on August, 2. It was a sweet, sweet moment to see someone do that.

And then my last session, a marriage in crisis...clearly the husband had not done the homework. He does not appear to be working on wanting to change according to what a biblical husband should look like and so the marriage remains in crisis and the counseling session was tense and there were no moments of celebration.

They have to want to change and they have to put forth the effort. If they put forth the effort, God's word will not fail them. It is good. I have seen people change in the 8 weeks I have been there. People can and do change but only with Christ.

There are some verses that come up in every case:

1 Corinthians 10:13 (New American Standard Bible)

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

meaning, you are not the first person to go through this. Others have battled this too. God will give you what you need to get through this.

2 Corinthians 5:9 (New International Version)
So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

meaning, whatever you do, wherever you go, your first goal should be to please God. You should ask yourself before doing something or saying something, "is God going to be pleased with me when I do this or say this?"

Romans 8:28-29 (New International Version)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

what I have learned about this verse is that people think that all things work for the good but it clearly says that all things work for the good of those who love him. Through trials God transforms us and draws us in closer to him so that we will desire to be more like his son.

It's awesome, amazing.

Not that I didn't believe but I felt the truth Hebrews 4:12 yesterday, For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. As we were being lectured on the topic of guilt, I felt that sword piercing me as I felt guilty for how harsh I had been with Cali. So I called her on my lunch break and sought her forgiveness and she sought ours for her wrongdoing.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (New Living Translation)
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

It's all good. So good!