Why Christian Marriage Counseling?
When marriage is badly damaged, a Christian marriage counseling is more often ignored than recognized for three obvious reasons: first, people who are undergoing marital crisis don’t even know that they are indeed undergoing a crisis; second, those who recognize that they are don’t want to subject themselves to such counseling; and finally, those who recognize the need for a marriage counselor do not usually go to a Christian marriage counselor. This doesn’t mean though, that a Christian counseling is not as effective as other more popular counseling. In fact, many couples who sought help from a Christian counselor can prove its benefits.
The goal of Christian counseling is not different from secular counseling: to help couples find solution to their marital issues. What sets it apart from psychologically-integrated systems is seen in its foundation that helps couples discover their problems in line with the principles and commands of the Scripture and helps couples to submit themselves to God’s will.
Christian counselors are able to do this because they use the bible as a guide, which is the absolute standard in measuring the objectives and in evaluating the counselee’s lifestyle. Meanwhile, secular counselors use psychological findings or societal norms, both of which change by winds of time. Using the concepts of the bible, Christian counselors can teach and advice people on how to act properly and how to be accountable on their every action.
Finding the right Christian marriage counselors
Finding a Christian marriage counselor is not as difficult as you may have thought it is; all you need to do is to look at the right place and you’ll surely find what you are looking for.
1. Go to your pastor. Your pastor can provide information on where to find a Christian marriage counselor. People walk into the church all the time for various reasons so there’s no need to be afraid even if it is your first in the longest time. The church is there to help you.
2. Which one is your type? There are three types of There are several types of Christian marriage counselor: professional therapist, lay Christian marriage counselor, and pastoral Christian marriage counselor. One may be slightly different from the other but basically practices the same Christian approach, still it pays to do your research.
3. Keep the schedule. It is useless to schedule a counseling then ignore it because you have to do something else. If your husband or wife wishes not to come, come alone. It is much better to talk to someone who can give the right advice regarding your marital problems than keeping it to yourself just because your partner doesn’t like to cooperate.
4. Go more than once. Christian marriage counseling is best when done regularly. Remember that counseling gives you the chance to work on all areas of your marriage as well as a chance to stay close to God.
When my wife and I came to realize that our marriage is deteriorating, we agreed to enter Christian marriage counseling sessions. Our experience during the sessions can be summed up as “life-changing” as we both felt love and renewed respect to one another.
