Page 46 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 20

are facing. They become encouraged with each others, both personally and through his wri-
crisis that is resolved, and their faith grows with
each successive triumph. Together, pa�ent and
therapist strengthen one another in their re-
spec�ve journeys of faith: faith that growth can
occur, that good can overcome, and that love
really does prevail.
O�en, a pa�ent who has experienced such ma-
tura�on will recommend therapy to others, and
will tes�fy to the transforma�onal nature of
their own therapy. Some will even go on to be-
come people-helpers themselves: Psycholo-
gists, psychiatrists, counselors, social workers,
and allied mental health professionals.
Case Illustra�on: Lowell and Marie Hoffman
We share this personal vigne�e in order to
transmit the faith that has been handed to us,
and encourage you to persevere in your own
journey of growth. Both of us (Lowell and Ma-
rie) were raised in conserva�ve Chris�an fami-
lies, steeped in fundamentalism. We met in col-
lege, and together came to understand that the
Chris�anity we experienced in our youth was
insufficient to sustain vital faith over the course
of our lives. We were discouraged, mostly ho-
peless, and desperate for faith that was real.
We were made aware of a place called l’Abri in
Huemoz, Switzerland, and of the wri�ngs of
Francis Schaeffer. Devouring his inspiring
works, we decided to make the life-altering
step of selling all we had and journeying to
Switzerland to experience l’Abri firsthand. The-
re, we experienced our Lord in others without
the projec�ons that prevailed from our earlier
years in fundamentalism. Our experiences of
rela�onship in the community of l’Abri gave us
hope that love and truth can be shared among
believers in Christ. Most importantly, the per-
son of Francis Schaeffer, with his genuine, true
faith in Christ, and selfless spirit, was transfor-
ma�onal for us. God is good and we can trust
him.
What we learned also of Francis Schaeffer’s
own crisis of faith years before and how l’Abri
was birthed because of his own journey. He
transmi�ed the gi� of faith to us and countless
46
�ngs, that our God is real, our Chris�an faith is
vital and true, and that Chris�an love can be ge-
nuine.
Following our transforma�onal months at l’A-
bri, we were in �me licensed as psychologists
and have enjoyed the privilege of gi�ing our
faith to others. This gi� is not the passing on of
“ar�cles of faith”, it is rela�onal faith in the
goodness of God that He can work through us
with believers and non-believers to bring about
healing, restora�on of rela�onships, and hope.
Eventually, we founded an ins�tute for advan-
ced training of psychologists in the integra�on
of Chris�an truth with their clinical work, for us
a special privilege to gi� faith even further. Pas-
sing forward our gi� received, quite a number
of our former pa�ents have embarked on trai-
ning to be counselors who integrate their Chris-
�an faith, further confirming and transmi�ng
the experience of God’s faithfulness.
Conclusion
As we pen these words, we are cognizant of the
ease of being “armchair op�mists.” From
wildfires that destroy en�re country sides, to
pandemics that decimate popula�ons, we too
wrestle with the enemy who whispers, “Hath
God [truly] said”? Our pa�ents come to us in
the midst of their turmoil, faltering, like David
of old: “I had fainted, unless I had believed to
see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the
living.” (Ps 27:13 KJV).
As counselors, social workers, psychologists,
psychiatrists, and psychotherapists, we have
the privilege of gi�ing our pa�ents who will in-
i�ally rely upon our faith that has been tested
over �me. In this process our pa�ents come to
regain, or discover for the first �me, their capa-
city to trust, and then a more excellent trust
that can surrender to an Other who cares about
them. For those who are children of God, a re-
silient assurance in the goodness of God will in
�me replace despair with a mo�va�on to trans-
mit to others good news-- the good news that
with St. Paul affirms, “I know Whom I have be-
lieved, and I am sure that He is able…” (2 Tim:
1:12 KJV).