“Hardships often prepare ordinary
people for an extraordinary destiny.”
– C.S. Lewis –
If you have lived long enough, there is no doubt that you have endured suffering in this world. You know, that gut-wrenching, mind-altering, emotional-hijacking kind of pain. I’m talking about the kind of pain that often leads us to the questions, “Why did this have to happen?” “Where was God?” “What is the purpose of this?”
To be a counselor means to sit with these questions, often on a daily basis. I’m not going to lie…it is not an easy job. There is a lot of evil, pain, and suffering in this world and being a counselor has only opened my eyes further to that fact. If the story ended here, I think I would have quit my job and pursued a career in something like stocking shelves or managing inventory…a career away from people, away from all of the pain. Fortunately, God doesn’t leave us in our pain. In fact, He chooses to redeem it.
“Behold, I [God] am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.”
– Isaiah 43:19 –
Part of the role of a counselor is to walk through individuals’ pain with them. There is certainly a time to grieve with clients and to process the depths of how suffering has affected them. Yet there is also a time to laugh and celebrate with clients as they work through their pain and grow from their experiences. As much pain and evil there is in the world, there is just as much (if not more) goodness, mercy, and love. Part of my role as a counselor is to help clients see the good along the way.
I opened this blog post with a quote by C.S. Lewis, and thought it appropriate to close with this quote as well. When we go through any amount of pain, it can be encouraging for our heart to pull back and reflect on what this might be preparing us for in the future. There is always hope.
“Hardships often prepare ordinary
people for an extraordinary destiny.”
– C.S. Lewis –
counselorqueen.com 