Waiting for the repairman. The washer just went out—water on the floor!
Too bad, but this reminds me that counselors are repairmen too. Counseling has positive results—when it’s biblical and it’s followed, of course. But fundamentally, even biblical counseling is nothing more than repair work. The counselor is a repairman, par excellence.
We are quite ready to call for the washing machine man. We can’t wait until the repair is done. But why are Christians so reluctant to call for help when things go wrong in their lives?
And, when they talk to Christ’s repairmen, why do they begin by making excuses? Why do they try to evade the obvious? Why do they make it hard for them to help?
The answer, of course, is that they are sinners. As sinners, which Christians still are, they resist truth—even when they know otherwise.
But, as the repairman working on the washing machine will tell you, “Lady if you want this thing fixed, you’ll have to cooperate,” so too, a Christian counselor will want cooperation from his counselees as well.
When you go for counseling, don’t hide things that the counselor needs to know to help. Don’t hesitate to follow biblical advice. Don’t give the repairman a hard time. Don’t get in his way. Cooperate. In the long run, you’ll be glad you did.
Don’t be embarrassed to tell the truth—it will all come out in the wash anyway!
Check out our online courses, including, Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling and The Use of Scripture in Counseling, taught by Jay Adams!
Books related to counseling others:
- Competent to Counsel by Jay Adams
- The Christian Counselor’s Manual by Jay Adams
- How to Help People Change by Jay Adams
- Check out our Bookstore for all the best counseling books!
The Christian Counselor’s New Testament and Proverbs, translated by Jay Adams
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