The Quest For Life Through Christian Counseling
Barney Armstrong
Our Quest For Life
“It’s not hard to make decisions once you know what your values are.” – Roy E. Disney
Most of us spend our whole lives searching for something; for someone. The search to hit the moving target of success compounds our psychological confusion, emotional pain, relational conflict, stress, depression, and fears. What is the end goal of our quest anyway? In the Apostle John’s story of Jesus, he makes it clear that the object of our quest is simply life.
The quest for life- for real, true life- is the foundation for the way we think about all of the mental and emotional needs that we have generated in our search; by whatever names these needs have come to be known to us.
John gives not only the correct starting place, but also the ending point — the full and complete answer: “…God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son” (I John 5: 11-12). So God, in giving us His Son, has given us eternal life. Jesus is the answer to all questions, all needs, all depressions, anxieties, confusion, and conflicts.
Toward Psychological Wholeness
As wonderful as it is to know and believe these things, the truth needs to be applied specifically to all of these anguishes that we have created in our lives. When we hear that Jesus is the answer, a light may turn on for us, but repeating what we know to be true is not enough. Repetition of the truth, without application to our lives, is like giving bouillon cubes to a starving man. Sure, they may contain the right nourishment, but they need to be broken down for him in useable form.
This is the great advantage that a Christian counselor has – she or he has access to the biblical diagnosis and prognosis- the problem and the solution. Diagnosing emotional pain can be a complex practice, but a good Christian counselor also has all of the tools that psychologists and theorists have developed over the last 150 years at his or her disposal. A good Christian counselor can help you to identify your needs and to stand with you as you unearth long-since hidden pain.
A Christian counselor also has the prognosis. She or he is equipped to match up what is provided in Christ to the wound, strengthen where there is weakness, and work toward healing your emotional pain. In other words, the Christian counselor takes and breaks the bouillon cubes down for the starving man.
The goal of Christian counseling is to apply the Bible to deep and often hidden needs. The goal is to find of that new kind of life Jesus came to give. We offer a hand as you discover that new quality of life that you’ve been searching for all this time.
