"...that [you] may have life, and have it in fullness."
-John 10:10
One of the greatest struggles in counseling is to help people stop doing what is not working for them.
As humans, we seem to be constantly getting in our own way. From bad habits to misconceptions, a great deal of cognitive behavioral therapy assists in helping a person break down their mental barriers and function more efficiently, effectively, and healthily.
We all have basic needs, 12 to be exact. Most of our struggles in life come from not fully understanding these needs, and therefore not meeting them in the ways they need be met. Rather, we substitute, and end up with addictions, emotional scars, toxic relationships, hopelessness, etc.
We were created for love, for wholeness, for fulfillment. We live in a world abounding with resources, and yet one of the greatest causes of 'not having enough...' (clean water, homes, food, oil, etc) usually stems from a failure to successfully allocate the supply. Quite often the reason a shortage exists is because there is a surplus somewhere else.
Your needs were meant to be met, but in a way that is sustainable, effective, and life-promoting, in a way that thrives on balance. Your body needs food to survive, but there are certain foods that bring more health to your body than others. Let us not aim so low that we merely hope to cure the hunger within us - let us life up our goal so that we seek out food (and ways to meet our needs) that not only curb hunger, but also nourish the body and person within.
So, what do you need?
How are your needs currently being met?
Is that working for you?
If not, might there be a better way that your needs can be met, a way that doesn't cause more damage than the damage it was intended to alleviate?
May we learn more about our needs and the positive ways to meet them, so that we might not only always become healthier versions of ourselves, but that we might also go out and meet the other needs we see in this world, as we were called to do.
I ran into this guy...we almost knocked each other down...I looked at him closer...and it was me!
How are your needs currently being met?
Is that working for you?
If not, might there be a better way that your needs can be met, a way that doesn't cause more damage than the damage it was intended to alleviate?
May we learn more about our needs and the positive ways to meet them, so that we might not only always become healthier versions of ourselves, but that we might also go out and meet the other needs we see in this world, as we were called to do.
I ran into this guy...we almost knocked each other down...I looked at him closer...and it was me!
"Your task is not to seek for love,
but merely to seek and find all the barriers
within yourself that you have built against it."
-Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi
