Therapy

Christianity has gradually adopted the worldly means of therapy. Worldly therapy involves self-help: the circumstances aren't so bad; they can be met by adopting a positive outlook. Self-worth can be found by looking deeply into ourselves to see the good there. Foster the good outlook, sift out the bad.

All of this may seem good at first, except for one problem: worldly therapists are liars. We don't bear good fruit. Our desires are rotted by sin. Attempts to twist them to good only twist them more. So where do we look? What do we depend on? I have come to realize that I don't feel weak when I'm depending on God. Depending on God is the remedy. God turns our trials to our benefit through His mercy. He completes what He starts. He builds us up together as a body through our struggles. His Spirit inside us grows the good fruit. That's a positive outlook that stands up and walks in the pain life brings, because it can look the truth square in the eye.

I can't imagine that what I'm writing now is new to the readers. But in the course of everyday events, what do we really do? In spite of all our good intentions, how do we help each other? What do we point our friends to when they come to us broken down?

"Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all."