Opening Life’s Windows In Christian Counseling

Finding Hope by Looking Beyond

What is it about windows that draw our attention? The first thing my eyes focus upon when I walk into a room is the window and the way light pours into the room. Sitting in my counseling office, I stare sometimes out the lone window. I just sit and stare. What I see mostly is sky… and clouds. In the bottom third portion of the window, I see an orange/brown church building topped with a tower. On top of the tower is a white cross. Then in the rest of the window, there are a few pine trees and house rooftops. This view reminds me there is activity occurring simultaneously with what conspires within these office walls. There is a whole world to be joined, once I leave this building. The insights gained and changes begun are meant to translate into life “out there.” A client recently shared that having the shades up on the window during our session offered her a sense of hope. This made me ponder, “Why is it we are drawn to windows?”

Maybe we want to see another perspective, to grasp more to life than just the thoughts and worries bouncing around inside our heads all the time. The thing about windows is that they go both ways. What if someone were looking into the window of my body, of my soul? What would they see? As I consider my body having a window, I think about the hopefulness I want to carry with me – hope for myself and for others – and I consider the integrity I want to have. If someone can look inside me, I hope they can find genuine desire to do good, to love God, self, and others, to live in this world as authentically as I know how – and to constantly strive for more while resting in the knowledge that, ultimately, God is in control. What do you want people to see when they look into the window of you?

We Need to Open the Windows to Our Souls

Anxiety, unresolved grief, depression, doubt, fear, confusion – these experiences often fog up our windows and make us feel like hiding. I am reminded of the vulnerable prayer of Psalm 139: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (NIV) To be laid open, bare, exposed, known before God is a beautiful experience. And to be open and vulnerable with other people, in a safe place, can also be a beautiful and healing experience.

Discovering New Windows in Christian Counseling

Do you feel that you are on the inside of a dark, windowless room – stuck in a cycle of depression and/or anxiety? Maybe you feel like you are standing outside a room, and you are afraid to see what is inside, though you somehow know it is an important part of yourself to be explored and understood. Counseling offers a window that you never knew was possible – a way to see beyond the turmoil you are currently experiencing, a way to see a fresh and healing perspective, a way to actually grasp a sense of hope and discover a way out. Counseling can offer an experience of being seen, a window through which another can see the real you and help you see your beauty and potential. If you are in a difficult transition point in life, experiencing persistent obstacles to the intimacy and connection you desire, or in the midst of a deep crisis of faith, consider calling a Christian counselor to set up an initial risk-free session to see if counseling would be helpful for you right now.

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