Today's guest blogger is Anne Dryburgh. Anne is a missionary in Flemish speaking Belgium since 1991 doing evangelism and biblical counseling. Her ministry is unique and I know she would appreciate prayer as she ministers to those around her. These posts will give you an idea of what she faces in her ministry, and how important biblical counseling is to the people she serves.Anne often brings counseling applications to life through stories on the blog.
Barbara
is a shy young lady who often experiences that people treat her badly. When she
is in a group, others will often ignore her. At other times, when she does
speak to people, still others join the conversation and take over, or the other
person walks away. Each time that Barbara experiences this, she wonders what is
wrong with her, thinks about how mean that other people are, and about how
Christians should treat others in a more loving way.
The
first thing that Barbara and I talked about was her motivation for going. What
was her reason for being there? To be treated well? To make new friends? To
honor God? To love others? If her goal is to honor God and treat others well no
matter how they treat her, she would deal with their bad treatment of her in a
more constructive way.
In
order to help her honor God in her heart, Barbara decided to start to prepare
her heart before each visit. She would look to the Lord and who she in the him.
She decided to focus on some verses had spoken to her during her quiet time:
“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been
predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to
the counsel of his will, so that we who were
the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians
1:11, 12).
These
verses help her live in the truth that God has chosen her, he wants her, and
that the purpose of her life is to glorify him. Barbara decided to write these
verses on a card to put in her pocket so that the next time she was at a social
event, she could read them and stay focused on the Lord and his purpose for
her.
Knowing
that what we think affects how we behave and feel, Barbara realized that she
had to counter the wrong thinking that she engaged in when others treated her
badly. She saw that as soon as she started thinking that others were mean to
her, that Christians should behave better, or begin to wonder what kinds of
things were wrong with her, she would have to stop these thoughts. These
thoughts would have to be replaced with thoughts that honored the Lord and on
how to love others.
These
tips were a big help for Barbara in dealing with her heart that longed for love
and acceptance. When she did not get the love and acceptance she desired, she
became angry, critical, and judgmental. Now she could focus on the Lord, his
love for her, and on how to relate to others in a way that pleases him.
Labels: Guest Blogger - Dryburgh