Reflecting on the Love of God
As I sit down to write a few thoughts about Journey Counseling, I largely think about the beauty, goodness, and truth of this organization. Even more so, I consider the counselors who give countless hours to loving well and coming alongside their clients to create opportunities for reflection, growth, and healing.
Isaiah 40:8 tells us that, “...the grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” There is much solace found in this verse. In times of immense struggle and fading hope, the constant, deep love of our God provides us with the true stability we so desperately long for. Our counselors strive to enrich the lives of their clients by reminding them of a godly, inner beauty that sustains, while so much of the worldly, outer “beauty” around us destroys. As we focus on small ways to cultivate patience, grace, and compassion within our own hearts and minds, the Lord will be unceasingly faithful in helping us to share these beautiful virtues with others.
Often, when so many of our relationships and life situations feel so heavy, so burdensome, and so permanent, Journey’s counselors endeavor to share the inherent goodness of the Word of God with their clients. James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” In times of great darkness we will inevitably face, the valleys seem so deep and the shadows so long that we must be encouraged to quietly focus on the abiding goodness of God. As we grow in our understanding and experiences of God’s goodness, the heaviness and burdens of our days become lighter, and we slowly trust that these seasons of difficulty and darkness aren’t permanent, but rather that the goodness and truth of our God is all-loving and permanent.
Finally, in John 14:6, Jesus tells us, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The biblically-based counseling that Journey practices ensures that the truth of God’s omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence and omnibenevolence will always be manifested in His Word. The truth is that God is above and beyond our limited understanding. He loves us more than we can imagine. So, in the midst of darkness and difficulty, we can rest in the joy of Jesus and take comfort in God holding us very tightly in the palm of His hand.
I sincerely hope that in the midst of whatever path you may be walking today, however light or dark, however straight or curved, however flat or steep, you can find rest in the beauty, goodness, and truth of God’s all-consuming love for you.
Written by Becky Jellum, Board Member
