4 posts tagged “god”

This morning, I got the rare experience of doing a "session" with an adult. Not one of those where I feel like I have to sneak in the back door and convince them there is something they need to be different. Not one that just frustrates me because the adult doesn't realize the damage they are doing to their lives and their children's lives. I feel very fortunate to have gotten to have this session on the day such as this.

In reality, it wasn't a session at all. I just happened to stop in to a co-worker's office on my way upstairs and it turned into a session. I've been fortunate that this co-worker and I already have the relationship where we can discuss things of a therapeutic nature. It makes me even more grateful that he gets along well with my husband and spends time outside of work with him, just the two of them.

I suppose what is interesting is that as I'm leaving his office he thanks me for the "session". The longer I think about it, the less I feel that he got more out of it than I did. Very few clients will open the door to talk about God or beliefs and I don't go there unless they open that door. The freedom to be able to address something that I believe is in everyone's core is rare and I appreciate the opportunity a great deal. Having conversations with people whether my spouse, co-worker, or friend is just something that rejuvenates me in a way that I can't quite explain.

I sometimes feel selfish during these conversations because I get so much out of them I can't imagine the other person is getting much more than nothing. In any case, I get to leave work early today and spend it with my favorite person having these conversations all weekend. I am very blessed.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!!

Lately I've found myself very frustrated in regard to therapy. Mostly because there are so many choices that give the illusion of true healing. The more I've tried to focus on what a family/couple/individual really needs, the more convinced I have become that I am cheating my clients. Especially those clients that profess to not be spiritual. For me, all solutions and pathways to healing and healthy relationships is through the Gospel. Giving my clients anything less feels...false and leaves me feeling unsatisfied.

This weekend is the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints of which I'm a member. Earlier this year, President Gordon B. Hinckley, our prophet died and this is the solemn assembly in which the entire church sustains a new prophet, Thomas S. Monson. As I was leaving the second session of the day I was pondering upon this frustration. My inability to immediately download my testimony and knowledge into the hearts and minds of every person that I meet continued to leave me feeling unsettled.

It has been so frustrating for me that I was questioning my choice. Is it really fair to be a therapist and give only semblances of the best thing? I continued to feel as though I was selling my clients short. Yesterday, while working at the hospital, I was seeing one of my clients, a seven-year-old boy. Generally he is distracted and not very cooperative in our individual sessions. Our session was coming to a close when he noticed my necklace.

Usually I am wearing a necklace that my sister gave me, but because of my frustrations and feeling that I needed to be reminded of who I am and Heavenly Father's love for me, I have been wearing my medallion that I earned in Young Women's. It was this pendant I was wearing yesterday. My client asked me about my necklace and I paused to consider my response to this child who may or may not understand. Then I asked him if he had ever heard of God. He hesitated in his response, but eventually answered in the affirmative. I then explained that I am (and everyone, including him is) a child of God. Then I told him that God is a King and children of Kings are Princes and Princesses with responsibilities attached to their royal heritage. The light in his face when he realized that I was telling him that he was a prince, lifted my spirits a little.

As I was thinking about this and other sessions in the past where I shared a portion of my testimony, whether directly or indirectly, I noticed that those are the ones where I felt most...honest with my clients. I didn't tell them everything and attempt to convert them on the spot. I'd hardly say I was trying to convert them.

I suppose I had been assuming that I should be harvesting instead of planting seeds. In many of my sessions, the word God doesn't come up. I don't like pushing people into religious discussions, but if they bring it up, I try my best to respond in a way that plants a little more truth in their already existing garden of faith. I can choose to be frustrated because I'm not giving everything, but as long as I'm giving what I'm asked and share with others, client or not, a portion, plant a seed, and tend to it to see if it needs further nourishment, I should be okay.

I'm sure frustrations will arise, but if I turn it over to Heavenly Father, He will teach me and take those frustrations away. A small truth has the potential to grow at amazing proportions.

There was a tone floating through choir practice this morning before church. Something had happened, but I didn't know what. Before church my Home Teacher approached me to shake my hand. He asked how I was and I responded and asked the same to which he responded "not very good." I'm sure I had a quizzical look on my face because he immediately said "You haven't heard?" He struggled to continue his sentence and his eyes welled up quickly. "My youngest daughter died yesterday."

He's in his 80s so his daughter may be as young as 40 depending on the spacing of his children, but I never expected to ever see him cry in my short time here.

It got me to thinking about how parents shouldn't have to bury their children. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of parents surviving their children in the world these days.

After church I was still thinking about this and I had a thought...God had to bury His Son. God understands exactly how painful it is to literally lose a child to physical death. Sure, there are millions subject to spiritual death on a daily basis, but I have a feeling that a losing biological child is even more traumatic. If I sit and think, I know several parents who have lost children, even parents related to me.

I'll never grasp the pain of such an experience today and I hope I never have to experience it. I can only imagine.

In class today we had a presentation regarding the nature of change.  One of the two presenters dared to say "everything must change".  There were others in class that shared the immediate thought to catch him in that statement.  I sat still, waiting for him to dig a larger hole before someone pulled out the question of God and his changeable (or unchangeable) state.  While he was dancing around it, trying not to outright say that God changes, but not really saying that he doesn't, I pulled out my scriptures (which are actually part of the text, at least the Bible part) and used my handy Topical Guide to fine Malachi 3:6 "For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed."  I showed it to my neighbor on the table and despite his urges for me to call out the presenter, I handed him the book and allowed him to argue for me.  The verse following that says "Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherin shall we return?"

This leads into the "will a man rob God?" sermon that many of us are familiar with.  The reason I point this out is because I did nothing further than show my neighbor the scripture, but somehow this person that I've only known for a couple months managed to voice my almost exact point in that God is unchanging and we are the ones that change our interpretations of God to fit our own agendas.  There is something great about someone understanding that so easily without any conversation whatsoever to convince or persuade.