Page 86 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 11

Forum “Guidance

Through the
Sarah Groen-Colyn Holy Spirit

As I begin these brief reflections, I come instantly to our first problem: During the
We cannot explain the Holy Spirit – “There is nothing we can merely Counseling
know about the Holy Spirit” (Schmemann, Of Water and the Spirit, p.
105). But we do know Him, and because of this incarnate, embodied- or Therapy
in-flesh knowing perhaps we can say something about what it’s like to Session:
collaborate with Him in a therapy session. I will discuss one blessing and
one problem that we counselors and therapists experience as we receive Blessings and
the Holy Spirit as our gift: the blessing of naturalness and our problem Problems”
with recklessness.

First, we are blessed with naturalness. What could be a purer joy than
getting to be who you really are, to experience life the way it was meant
to be? This is what happens when we work with the Holy Spirit in the
counseling process, because collaborating with Him and moving in His
charisms is the most natural state of redeemed man. It is natural to us to
receive God, abide in Him, and have our created gifts taken up into His
divine energy and purposes. It is separation from God that is unnatu-
ral; the fracturing and distorting consequences of sin deprive us of our
created, innate capacity to hear and obey God.

In Christian reality, grace builds on nature. It seems to me that most
Christian counselors are drawn to this vocation because it puts to good Sarah Groen-Co-
use the gifts that make us who we are. As we access restored relation- lyn, PhD in Clinical
ship with God through the cross of Christ (and therefore are indwelt Psychology, MA in
by the Holy Spirit), we find ourselves relating to our clients in the most Christian Leader-
naturally charismatic way. The Spirit takes our natural gifts of concern, ship (Fuller Semina-
compassion and wisdom and builds them into the charisms of discern- ry, accredited by the
ment, mercy and exhortation. While this certainly yields blessings for American Psycho-
our clients (such as supernatural comfort and insight), I’m drawing our logical Association).
attention to what may be an even richer blessing, that we ourselves are She is the Director of
becoming more human, more real, more natural. In my moments of Ministries of Pasto-
strongest collaboration with the Holy Spirit, I am more fully myself than ral Care (ministrie-
I knew was possible and am most blessed. And because counseling is an sofpastoralcare.com)
ongoing relational process, the counselor’s own naturally charismatic be- and the founder of
coming generates an abundant overflow of blessings in that relationship Sanctuary Psycho-
and all others. logical Services. She
will have the pleasure
Now to our problem: recklessness. I believe we resist the recklessness of serving with the Mi-
receptivity to the Holy Spirit. Agnes Sanford directs those who would be nistries of Pastoral
guided by Him to make this reckless request: “We must with understan- Care team in Germa-
ding and faith ask the Holy Spirit to invade us and fill us” (The Healing ny in October, 2014,
Gifts of the Spirit, p. 141). To be truly open to the Spirit’s invading indwel- when the NIS Netz-
ling requires repentance; we must turn away from our sinful inclination werk (nis-netzwerk.
to self-determination. The ego shrinks back from true abandonment to de) is offering a semi-
God, demanding understanding before obedience. Pride can even hide nar to share Leanne’s
such resistance in the cloak of rationalism. work with Christian
counselors and mini-
stry leaders.
sarah@ministriesof-
85 pastoralcare.com