Order Number |
78887546546 |
Type of Project |
ESSAY |
Writer Level |
PHD VERIFIED |
Format |
APA |
Academic Sources |
10 |
Page Count |
3-12 PAGES |
When reading Caring for the Sexually Abused Children (2001) and When God Doesn’t Make Sense (2012), there are several points that are very important for us to take into consideration when helping families through tough times. Each book brings many points to the table for us to focus on as counselors.
The first one that I would like to touch on is God’s timing. Even when we do not feel like God’s timing is perfect, it is. In his eyes, he has our whole lives planned out and we need to help our clients know that. God has a purpose for everything, even if his timing does not feel right.
As Dobson (2012, p. 50) states, “He is never in a hurry.” He has plans for our lives and each time he does not grant our prayer to make something happen at a certain time, he is preparing us for something so much better. There is a lesson to be taught in each moment of uncertainty.
God is teaching us to trust him and lean on him when we feel all hope is lost. He is our hope, and we must latch onto his promises. As counselors, we should be able to help our clients lean on God and reassure them that he is for them. Not only for our clients, but we as counselors should trust in the Lord’s timing in order to be the best we can be.
If we go into a session upset about God not providing us with what we want in that time, we will not be as alert as we need to be for our clients. Another powerful statement from Dobson (2012, p. 55), “As long as I now He loves me and He never makes a mistake, why should I not be content to rest in His protection?”
He will protect us, whether he answers our prayers right when we pray them or whether those prayers go unanswered. God is on our side and we must trust in his timing. Personally, I struggled for a few years wondering why God was not providing the answers I prayed for. The main ‘aha” moment that stuck out to me was that, God is always working for the better in our lives.
We must go through some pain in order to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The way I look at this is, if I did not go through some of the things I went through, I would not be who I am today. For that, I am grateful for God’s never-ending support.
The second point that is so relevant in helping people understand why they are going what they are going through is, “why”. This point really spoke to me while reading through this book, especially when I came across the statement, “God desires good for his people” (Kearney, 2001, p. 96).
We all are going to go through situations in this life that do not make sense and that are unfair, but we must know that evil is not of God. As long as we love God with our hearts, he will pave the way. We may never understand the “why” behind what is happening in our lives, but we can trust that God is on our side and he will get us through it.
For families and children who have been affected by a hurtful event, the truth they can rely on is that God is good. It is hard to believe that good people have to go through bad things, but as a counselor, I plan to help my clients know that the “why” is not what they should focus on.
They should focus on the goodness of the Lord and how he will get them through their situation as long as they trust in him. Kearney (2001, p. 97) states “We do not pretend that there is no evil or no evil deed has been done, but we hold on to the conviction that good will come out of it at some point down the road.”
The third point, will it ever get better, is very hard to grasp, especially for people who have endured any child abuse situation. Personally, I could not imagine the pain someone goes through when they have a child who has been abused, but I can relate to being abused mentally. I was bullied constantly throughout middle school and my first two years of high school.
My constant thoughts were, will it ever get better and when will the pain end. Literally, prayer after prayer and night after night, I still continued to get bullied. I pushed through and time healed my wounds and made me a stronger person. I could not have gotten through it without the Lord or my family. I would strongly recommend to the clients that I counsel to find a support group.\
Whether that be friends or family, they need to be supportive and have healthy intentions. In my personal experience, my support group helped me believe things would get better. God was included in that support group. As I will tell my clients the importance of having God in their lives and trusting him and his time line for their lives. As Kearney (2001, p. 104) states, “time tends to heal.”
References
Dobson, J. (2012). When God doesn’t make sense. Carol Stream, Il: Tyndale House.
Kearney, R. (2001). Caring for sexually abused children. Downers Grove, Il:
InterVarsity Press.