By Sally Zuraikat, M.A., LMFT-A
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2
Doing nothing is really easy, but doing something is hard and scary. Choosing to do something of value requires us to determine what’s worthwhile. However, that hard work will take us towards the reward found at the end of any uphill climb.
One of the most important questions in life is how can we know what’s worthwhile? Can we even determine what is of great value without taking risks? It is truly hard to choose correctly. How can we have the strength to let go of what is bleeding our joy and peace? The simple and complex answer is faith.
Often times people struggle with life’s demands and chaos. Day in and day out people live in their own secret personal pain stumbling blindly looking for fulfillment and satisfaction. We live in a society that keeps demanding, a Society that keeps pushing us harder to look for temporal happiness. So many people and things encourage us to choose the myopic counterfeit pleasure of immediate relief over the longer harder journey of real personal healing. In the midst of all the uncertainty that life presents, it becomes harder for Christians to even think of what the verse “transformed by the renewal of your mind” even means.
We tend to lose faith easily, don’t we? The biggest question that clients ask when they come to the therapy office is where is God in the midst of all that confusion? God’s purpose is to be glorified in our lives by giving us purpose, joy, and peace. However, often times we learn how to live in God’s perfect will through suffering. Some times we have to sacrifice the present to celebrate the future. There is a promise that through it all we will learn how to live a noble life, take responsibility, and enjoy the presence of a loving almighty God who will never abandon us and will walk through it all along our side. A therapeutic approach that is influenced by godliness is not simply showering people with biblical verses. It is not promising people that everything is going to be perfectly OK. It is an approach that blends concepts and skills from psychotherapy with the wisdom of biblical truth to help each person embrace their dignity and identity in Christ. By applying biblical principles as the cornerstone of care, clients are encouraged to make life-affirming choices to glorify God and journey life with a renewed peace, joy and hope. The undeniable truth is that God is bigger than any problem we face. Don’t be misguided to believe that its too late. It never is. With scripture as our cornerstone we can learn how to have faith within the chaos. Jesus came to the disciples in the fourth watch of the night walking on water. When they had lost all hope he was able to calm the storm!
Sally Zuraikat is a marriage and family therapist who provides Christian Counseling, along with Individual, Marriage and Family Counseling at the FFC Center.
The FFC Center was founded in 2011 in Frisco TX, with a focus of providing quality counseling support to children, teens, adults, and families. We offer concierge counseling services, clinics, and exclusive membership resources and classes that encourage our clients to Recover Strong, Live Fully, and Thrive Unleashed.
Shahidrah Cowgill – who has written 34 posts on Fundamental Foundations Counseling Center.
