In support of counseling

 I started a season of regular counseling again last fall. It could have been easy for me to think too much time had passed, that I should have stuck with it in the first year, or that I’m “fine” now. There is no timeline, whether days of years have passed.

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I want to fight the stigma and remind you it’s OK to seek professional care. It’s healthy to ask for help. It’s healthy to reach out for others. Seeking help doesn’t mean you’re denying your need for Jesus or that your faith is “lesser”. God created us to do life in community.
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It may get harder before it gets easier, as you relive trauma and revisit emotions.
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It may feel like physical therapy on a muscle you’ve torn and have been exercising wrong in an attempt to minimize the pain.
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It may make you go back further than you want.
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It may raise more questions.
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But it may allow you to air out things that are necessary. To recognize them and say them out loud so you can surrender them (even if that’s a lifelong process).
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Find someone who is a good fit. I encourage you to find someone who shares your faith. I’ve gone both routes and, while both have been helpful, having a Christian counselor has been significantly more helpful and rich as I’ve processed both grief and faith, as well as hurts, frustrations, and disappointments unique to grief within the church—I needed a trusted person who would hold space for my hurt, while encouraging me in my faith. And as you continue to put in that hard work, continue to cling to Jesus and allow His body (the church) to support you.