Rushing off to the emergency department for a paper cut is a little melodramatic. But what if someone is bitten by a Brown Snake, and decides a Band-Aid is all that’s needed? How foolish to ignore the expert physicians God has given us.
But why doesn’t this cross over to mental or emotional traumas. While minor emotional stress can be dealt with personally, why do people ignore the expert counsellors God has given us when faced with serious emotional traumas (e.g. death, divorce, abuse)?
One reason could be financial. If it isn’t covered by Medicare, it can cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to get the professional counselling some people need.
Another reason could be finding the right counsellor. While there are some bad counsellors out there, who can cause even more damage, even some of the good counsellors might not be right for certain people. Building a rapport with a counsellor can be emotionally draining, and some people might be tapped out.
Yet the main reasons people avoid counselling are fear and pride. Thinking you can deal with serious emotional traumas yourself, or thinking counselling is an admission of failure, are both examples of pride; which God opposes (James 4:6).
Or then there’s the fear of emotional pain that comes from dealing with emotional issues. Yet God doesn’t send trials our way so we will ignore them. He wants us to grow from them; which means dealing with the emotional trauma head on.
So if you are dealing with serious emotional or mental issues in your life, please ask God for the courage and the humility to deal with them head on; then if necessary, find yourself a good Christian counsellor.
Brendan McLaughlin
