Sherrie called a local Christian counselor because, from her perspective, she was in a horrible marriage. At her first session she did not hide how she felt about her husband. (He was not there.) It became apparent rather quickly that she had one agenda: I want out! When she elaborated, she said marriage was not fulfilling her.
As she said, “This is not what I signed up for.” Apparently after seven years of marriage things had changed from the time when they first met.
The initial good news for Sherrie was that things began to change. After a few counseling sessions it seemed things were taking a positive turn. Sherrie began to apply God’s Word to her life and her perspective about her circumstances appeared to be changing. However, there was one big, nagging issue that the counselor could not seem to broach. Sherrie still was not reconciled to her husband.
In time she did get her divorce, found a job and from an outsider’s perspective it seemed she had pulled her life out of the ditch. She felt relief and the “honeymoon” of her new lifestyle was exactly what she had longed for.
Unfortunately time passed and the old feelings of emptiness and discontentment resurfaced. After a couple of years she called her counselor again and voiced similar patterns of discontentment and dissatisfaction with life. The new life she had envisioned seemed to be just as empty as the life she left.
QUESTIONS
- Where would you begin with Sherrie? What questions would you ask?
- What do you think Sherrie is interpreting as her needs? Why do you think this?
- What Scriptures would you use to help Sherrie see her real problem?
