LEMONS TO LEMONADE: Tool #6 to Equip You for Battle: Seek Counsel
What an enormous understatement to say that we are living in the midst of stressful times. I keep telling my kids, “I have lived a long time and I have never experienced anything like what we are going through right now.” Take a look at the Holmes-Rahe Stress Scale for the Top 10 Most Stressful Life Events and you will get a clearer picture as to why this past year has been particularly stressful:
1. Death of a spouse
2. Divorce
3. Marital separation from mate
4. Detention in jail or other institution
5. Death of a close family member
6. Major personal injury or illness
7. Marriage
8. Being fired at work
9. Marital reconciliation with mate
10. Retirement from work
All of the above is rampant around us. My own issues didn’t even make the top 10 this year and I feel overwhelmed. Life is hard and we need tools in which to fight our battles. But sometimes we need to be reminded that God doesn’t send us out to fight empty handed. He provides all the tools we need to make it through.
This series of Lemons to Lemonade was written to help us walk through our battlefields and come out on the other side...intact. Here is a recap of the first five tools we’ve covered to help us through our struggles:
#1 - Acknowledge that you are desperate for God.
#2 - Journal your thoughts on paper as a dialogue between you and God. #3 - See Prayer as a gift, given to you by your Heavenly Father, to take all your concerns and worries directly to Him.
#4 - Be careful with your words. If saying something might hurt another person, keep your mouth shut.
#6 - Understand the difference in being a peacemaker and a peacekeeper. Learn to use your voice to make peace with others.
Tool #6 has been invaluable to me. Seek counsel.
Our greatest source of counsel is the Word of God. God’s Word is His breath being poured into us.
Read God’s Word daily. "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you" James 1:5. Jesus said, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). The Holy Spirit knows what you need even when you do not.
Read through the Psalms and paraphrase the Scripture into your own words...God you are my rock, my fortress and my deliverer. I am going to take my refuge in You today! (See Psalm 18) Paraphrasing the Psalms over the years has provided me with tremendous counsel, comfort and often, clarity. There are 150 psalms to work through (before you start again).
Go to blueletterbible.org or biblegateway.com and search any struggle you may be having and see what Bible verses this search leads you to. Read them with an anticipation that you will find the answers to what you are searching. Write down what you learn.
Get professional help if needed. There aren’t enough words to describe what a source of strength and guidance my own counselor has been for me over the last few years. Was it scary to reach out and ask for help that first time? Absolutely! Do I feel “weak” because I see a counselor? Quite the opposite! The risk of allowing myself to be vulnerable to someone who is trained to help people who are struggling has been well worth it. Don’t attempt to handle your difficulties alone. God never intended for us to do this journey without others pouring into our lives. This is why He equipped us all with different gifts and talents. Counseling will challenge you to see yourself and your circumstances differently. The process will give you opportunities for growth you may not have known you needed!
Put on your fighting armor this week by getting yourself in the Word. If you think you need the help of a counselor to help you grow into all that God has created you to be, find a way to get the help. I’m praying for you.
For more help on equipping you for your battles, consider reading Hope For Hard Places Without Getting Burned found on Amazon.