No Other Answer

I have been a pastoral counselor, substance abuse counselor and lately a licensed professional counselor for over 30 years. But I have a confession to make-I think I am becoming a worse counselor. Yeah, it is true, and I really do not know what to do about it. It is kind of embarrassing because with age and experience should come wisdom and quite frankly, I feel like I know less and accomplish less than I did in the past. It is just not supposed to be this way.

So, I have been trying to analyze that what I think is going on and I have concluded that I have two problems. First, I have had a growing conviction every year of my life that the only person who has the answers to any problems in this life is the Lord Jesus Christ.

And the second is that most people do not want Jesus Christ to be the Lord of their life. Part of the reason that I am becoming a bad counselor is that the foundation to fix problems people simply do not want. “Talk to me and help me with my problems, oh you're a Christian, by the way don't tell me that God stuff.”

I have been around enough to see several different trends in counseling come and go but the only answer is giving our lives totally and completely to the Lord Jesus Christ. At least that is the foundation to start the fix.

What is interesting in most cases is that they would not be coming to me or any counselor in the first place. People who have answers or think they have answers do not come to counselors. I just have the desperate a person who-like all of us- their fixes are not working, and they are reaching out to anybody they can to find a working solution.

So, they do not know the answer, but they know Jesus is not the answer. I am at a loss after they reject the lordship of Jesus Christ in their life, I just do not have much else to give them. I guess we can talk about their favorite football team.

Of course, people get some help for good counseling but nothing close to the power of Christ redeeming their life.

People seem to have more problems today than any other time. Families are struggling. People do not know what direction they are going. Children are living in depression because they do not see any anything positive in the future. But despite all this desperation, they simply will not have God.

So, I guess I have concluded that I am just going to stay a bad counselor. The truth is the truth. Jesus is the foundation of life. His fullness and a relationship with Him will make us whole.

The Secret of counseling is people change people because they are around people. It is not the type of counseling; it is the person that you connect with that changes your life for better or for worse. If we connect with a perfect holy God in Christ, we slowly, over time become whole and well. It may take a lifetime, but supernatural change happens by the power of Christ.

If you see my shingle hanging up somewhere walk away because the best, I have to offer is that Christ will always be the answer and the foundation for all of life and I have no choice but continue to counsel people to that end. I have so little to offer but what I have is everything. I guess I can live with being a bad counselor. The price of trying to be a good one is too high.