Therapy—An opportunity to love
Let all that you do be done in love.
1 Corinthians 16:14
The month of February can be such a sweet reminder about the importance of Love. Love is one of my favorite topics. As a little girl I would draw hearts instead of dots over my I’s and I would dream about the day I would get to love someone for the rest of my life. I was obsessed with the idea of romance and relationships.
In my journey to becoming a wife, mother and therapist. I have learned that there is so much more to love. That there is dedication and commitment involved. It’s easy to love someone when they listen to you, and do kind things for you. It’s so much harder to love someone who’s ways of dealing with anxiety trigger your past trauma. How do you love someone who betrayed your trust and cheated on you. How do you love a child who made bad decision after bad decision and then emotionally cuts you off until they need something?
I have seen so much heartbreak as a therapist. Yet, I also have seen so much triumph. I have had the honor and privilege of seeing a wife choose to forgive and love her husband through the damage of an affair. I have seen a mother fervently pray for a child who has insulted and hurt her. I have seen relationships restored. There are a lot of things required to heal from deep heartbreak; grace, forgiveness, and compassion. However, even with all of those things, true healing and restoration wouldn’t be possible without love.
Everyone is longing to know that they were created for a purpose and that they matter. That’s how love speaks to the soul.
In the therapy room I have seen the power of love, transform lives and marriages. Yes the power of love for a spouse, a child or a friend. Then there’s the love that therapists have for their clients. The work we do would be void without it. It’s not a romantic love, but it is a committed and dedicated love. Maybe not all therapists see it this way. I didn’t know that when I decided to be a therapist how much my heart would overflow with compassion for the people that I get to sit with day in and day out. But this work that therapists do is holy work. It is sacred. And it’s a beautiful opportunity to love.
