My Influencers

For a long time now people have told me that I am a good listener and supporter. I've been a peacemaker and leader of conflict resolution in my family and friend groups since adolescence. Friends and strangers alike will suddenly disclose their hearts to me - it's the weirdest thing. Moments like that, a desire to express care for people in their hard places and people confirming some of my natural giftings have pointed me to consider counseling as being a viable career option. To get specific, some people that have influenced my decision the most include my parents, my friends and sophomore year Resident Assistants, Leslie and Kayla, and some of my past campers.

To begin with, I think everyone's family has some dysfunction because all family members and sinners, but my parents have compared their families (in jest) with some friends who then said "Nope, you're family is worse. Y'all take the cake for dysfunction." We are no strangers to the messiness of life, so my parents have seen counselors when needed over the years so that they could promote healing in themselves and our family. Because of that, I have both seen and experienced how good counseling can help hurting people to grow and heal.

My second year of college I was on a leadership team on the dorm with some girls that I was good friends with. Leslie and Kayla were my RA's, and they were intentional to recognize and encourage my gifts. When I was pulled up from Prayer Leader to Spiritual Life Director and they practically forced me to try out to be a Resident Assistant, they would talk with me about situations and students and then laugh at how different my perspective would always be from theirs. They knew that my natural sense of empathy and spiritual gifting towards mercy would lead me to consider a person's heart beyond their actions and would sometimes even laugh saying "Oh you're such a mercy person" because I was the last one to get frustrated. All of the time they would tell me how good I would be at counseling and how natural my disposition was for it. 

Last, I have been a camp counselor a few times and have had kids want to meet with me and talk through things multiple times. I've sat with students as they questioned the Lord but also as they have confessed eating disorders, shame-filled secrets and several types of abuse. Sitting with them as they have opened the doors to their pain and taken steps towards healing has been such a privilege and though each time is heartbreaking I feel that it is something that the Lord has crafted me for and led me to do. 

All of these moments (and others) combined have seemed like the Lord building up my character and challenging my heart. I feel like He has placed passions and desires and skills within my and that using them as a counselor is a good way to honor Him in the ways in which He created me. My life and circumstances good and bad have built me into who I am today and helped me to know Him more. This truly feels like my calling and I am glad to serve God in it. All that I have and am are gifts of God, so I choose to worship Him with those gifts.