“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5). Praise God from Whom all blessings flow, Who gives us the good news of His light as a gift in the midst of darkness.
Comprehensive Light
I have found myself often reflecting on the beauty of the gospel. Of course, this is not the first time I have encountered the gospel or even thought about it deeply, but there is something different about the way I see the gospel now, after having spent some time in the counseling room. The Apostle John tells us in the opening line of his book that God is front and center. He is the main character, and He is full of life. Nothing could be brought into existence without Him and yet, in His kindness, He shares His fullness of life with men, who themselves are full of darkness.
I believe this darkness is a reality I understand now to a greater degree after having spent some time listening to people’s stories in the counseling room. Of course, we are all familiar with the darkness of the world on a large scale. We see news stories that follow endless tragedies, we watch terrible illnesses wage war on family members, and natural disasters continue to destroy. I believe, in some ways, this large-scale darkness is what my mind used to go to when I heard John 1:5.
I was raised in church, and I was taught that Jesus would come back one day to make all things right. So, of course, the darkness would not win. As true as this is, John 1:5 does not say the light will only shine in the darkness on some future day, and that the darkness will not overcome it. Rather, this verse tells me that the light shines and the darkness has not overcome it. Actively, presently, today. Today, the light of the glory of God shines in the darkness, not just in big ways, but small ones too, down to our very hearts. Is this not the beautiful story of the gospel, that Jesus Christ brings life in place of our death and light out of darkness? (2 Corinthians 4:6, Ephesians 5:8, John 12:46, John 8:12, John 3:16-21).
Our Darkness
Proverbs 4:19 says, “The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.” Apart from Jesus our Savior, this is the state of every human soul. Complete and hopeless darkness. As a counselor, I can no longer hear this proverb and think only of theological concepts or have vague impressions of people who I’ve rubbed shoulders with. As a counselor, when I hear this verse, I now see the faces of the people I have pleaded with to turn away from a path of death and destruction, and maybe you do too. It can be discouraging at times to see so much darkness in what seems like such overwhelming proportions. Our awareness and knowledge of darkness should increase both our urgency for the gospel and our compassion to those we are sharing it with. Those who are far from Christ, or who do not know Him at all, do not know what they are stumbling over, and they will never know until a light shines on their dark path. As counselors, we often have the wonderful privilege of being the ones to hold the lamp.
We See Light in His Light
Psalm 36:9 says, “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.” I hope I never take this truth for granted. My God, my gracious Savior and King who is perfectly full of light, invites me to see rightly, as He sees. Is this not the narrative of Scripture, that we would not only turn away from ourselves and towards Him, but that we would see Him and the beauty of His ways? It is not enough to acknowledge that God is light. We must taste and see Him as the precious pearl of great value, for He is worth abandoning every idol of our heart that stands in opposition to Him. This is the beauty of the gospel in the counseling room. The people coming to sit and talk with us are very often in a dark place, and it is in those moments that we get to offer the most wonderful news of the gospel. This gospel is not just for the unbeliever but also for every believer, in every season, for every day. God is able to transfer a soul from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light, and it is from this foundation that the saint bears fruit (Colossians 1:3-14). What better news could we offer?
Salt & Light in the Counseling Room
With our attention firmly fixed on the gospel, how should this impact our approach to counseling? I believe the first implication is that the gospel must be dear to us, individually. If our hearts are not transfixed by the gospel, if we have grown weary, if we have strayed, if we have forgotten, we must again set our eyes on Jesus. We are prone to wander, Lord, we do feel it, but He is the one who will hold us fast. Before we can rightly counsel others, we ourselves must be abiding in the vine if we are going to bear fruit that is pleasing to him (John 15:1-17).
Secondly, if God’s beautiful light is what ultimately overcomes the darkness of this world, we should be obsessed with looking at the light and sharing it with others. Although there is a time to consider the darkness so we can help a counselee out of it, ultimately, we will find a run-of-the-mill sinful heart at the root of it. Let us spend the majority of our efforts as counselors looking at the light, because that is what will truly bring hope and change to those we pour our souls out for. Scripture tells us that glory is given to the Father when our light shines before others (Matthew 5:13-16). If this is so, then we should be well equipped with a testimony to the beauty of the light we so dearly cherish. We should not stop at why it is theologically correct, but why the light of the Lord is truly better, more satisfying, more wonderful than the darkness this world will offer (1 Peter 3:14-17, Jeremiah 2:12-13, Philippians 3:1-12, Philippians 2:12-18). May we never graduate from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3b).
Lastly, if our hearts are appropriately captured by the magnitude of our Savior’s beauty, it should overflow into each counseling session as the foundation and thread that keeps everything together. Perhaps we ought to ask our counselees more often, especially when they are spiraling, to tell us the gospel again: “Tell me again what your Lord did for you on the cross.” Perhaps we should ask ourselves more often this same question, so that our wandering hearts are restored and recommitted with each new day upon the foundation of our faith. For everyone who has received Christ Jesus as Lord must walk in Him, day by day (Colossians 2:6-7).
