Page 14 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 22

ted. There are too many forces bent on destruc- In Nehemiah 4:6, we see that Nehemiah and
�on that can cause weakening in the structure.
Entropy sets in and the normal wear and tear of
life can cause erosion. Walls must be intact to
be purposeful. Weak, fragile walls must be rein-
forced with prayer and a holy life. Maintenance
is important to every structure whether physi-
cal or spiritual. We can glean wisdom from the
life of the sluggard. Proverbs 24:30-34 reads,
“ I went past the field of the sluggard, past the
vineyard of the man who lacks judgment;
thorns had come up everywhere, the ground
was covered with weeds,
and the stone wall was in ruins.
I applied my heart to what I observed and lear-
ned a lesson from what I saw:
A li�le sleep, a li�le slumber, a li�le folding of
the hands to rest-
and poverty will come on you like a bandit and
scarcity like an armed man.”
Rebuilding walls is not a one-�me event but a
life-�me pursuit. Walls cannot be abandoned
or expect to stand unchallenged. The enemies
on all sides wait crouching, looking for a weak-
ness, an unfor�fied area to gain entrance once
again. These can be habits, sins, lifestyle
choices, a�tudes and spiritual opposi�on. The
walls must be posted with a guard. The lover of
our souls offers such a protec�on He is willing
to stand guard over our hearts and souls. Nehe-
miah exhorts the people in the midst of the
ba�le to remember the Lord (Nehemiah 4:14).
Rebuilding Should Take Place to A Certain Point
14
his team built the wall to a certain height and
with Counseling should reflect this as well.
Counseling is not a life -long rela�onship and
counselors are trained to think about success-
ful closure early in the process. No counselor
wants a client dependent on them. Clients
need to take ownership of their own rebuilding
and maintenance. Ethics codes prohibit kee-
ping a client longer than is necessary. Once
goals are met, discharge is in store. Counselors
in essence want to work themselves out of a
job and teach clients the tools they need to live
and succeed outside of sessions. However, the
Holy Spirit con�nues the work in the ever-gro-
wing process of sanc�fica�on and growth.
Finishing Well
All counseling rela�onships must come to a he-
althy termina�on. Part of closure may include a
review of all that has transpired. We see once
again the example of Nehemiah. In Nehemiah
9, we see Nehemiah spent �me reminiscing
and reviewing with the people. In the counse-
ling rela�onship, it can be therapeu�c in itself
to see just how far the client has come. Counse-
lors may say like Nehemiah, “...this work had
been done with the help of our Lord”
(Nehemiah 6: 16b). It can also be a �me to as-
sess the needs for con�nued growth. Ending
the counseling rela�onship is only the begin-
ning of a life�me of growth and maintenance.
May each life God sends your way come away
with healing, restora�on, for�fied walls and
display His workmanship and shalom for His
glory.