This month our focus for Talk Therapy is on Jesus and therapy. Why Jesus and therapy? Because nothing changes without Him.
Isaiah 9:6, “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
The only reason I am a good therapist is because of Jesus. He shows me things only He can see. He takes us places only He knows to go. Even before becoming a therapist, I have leaned on Jesus to counsel me through this life. When you partner with both Jesus and therapy, freedom comes in ways you never dreamed possible. Get with your therapist today but for now, let’s lean into what we can learn from Jesus.
Week One: Jesus Felt
THREE TAKEAWAYS:
- It’s OK and healthy to feel. Jesus did!
- Jesus cares about your feelings (Mary)
- Jesus will weep with you.
Week Two: Jesus Retreated
Last week we discussed how Jesus felt. This week we are looking at how and why He retreated.
Jesus would often retreat to a quiet place to be alone and pray. We live in a world that does not give us natural pauses to retreat, so we must be intentional about this practice. I think Jesus was always retreating, not just for the rest, but to hear His Father. He had many people giving their opinions on where He should go and what He should do next. He had to be intentional about aligning his mission, and values with the Father.
We must first retreat to be refueled before we can charge into what God has in store for us.
But how do we know what He wants us to do? We follow the values He has planted in our hearts. Be sure to download the values worksheet and use it to retreat this week.
Resources mentioned:
Retreat in Order to Advance
Values Worksheet
Counseling with Rachael
Week Three: Jesus Asked Great Questions
So far we have discussed how Jesus felt and how He often retreated. This week we are looking at how He asked great questions.
I’ve been told much of my life that I ask great questions. As a counselor and podcast host, much of my days are spent asking questions. I’ve been asked before how I come up with such good questions. The answer is simple – I listen. Being a good listener is crucial if you want to be a great communicator.
Jesus was and is the best listener. We see all throughout the Bible examples of times when Jesus asked great questions, but those came from Him listening to what the person was really saying.
Jesus asked mostly open-ended questions. Open-ended implies we want to not only help you reach your own conclusion, but also want to have a conversation with you. Jesus wants to have a conversation with you. He wants to listen to your frustrations.
Questions for this week:
Do you trust Jesus? It’s hard to follow someone we don’t trust.
What question is He asking YOU? Write it down.
Week Four: Jesus Healed and Sent a Helper
I will never forget the moment in my journey to become a therapist when I was seeing my own therapist. I was processing a traumatic memory from my childhood and after I had shared everything I could remember she said, “Where is Jesus in this moment?”
For the first time, I was able to see Jesus there with me. Weeping with me. Protecting me in ways I didn’t even ask Him to. And walking me out of that dark situation. Jesus has since healed my heart from that time in my life, but it was a process.
We can’t talk about Jesus and therapy without bringing up the most obvious point about Him – He is a Healer. We can read countless stories in the Bible about when He healed in a moment. It rarely came at the time or way they might have imagined but one touch from Him and the people were never the same again.
The question I feel Jesus asking us today comes from John 5:6, “When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”
I’m not talking about physical healing today, though I do believe Jesus still heals our bodies. Do you want to be well in your heart? Are you ready to process that pain? Jesus is inviting you into that healing today. When Jesus died on the cross and rose again, He sent us the Holy Spirit to be our helper and comforter. With the help of the Holy Spirit, your journey to wholeness in your mind, soul, body, and spirit can begin today.
