The Battle with Evil and the Quest for Wholeness in Counseling
One of the challenges of running a counseling center and podcast that's connected to it is to communicate the heart of what we want to share. We aim to peel back the door and show what goes on inside those counseling rooms, to highlight the power of the stories shared there. However, confidentiality prevents us from sharing those stories directly. Even if we could, should we? This dilemma led us to ponder the role of evil in the restory process and how to effectively communicate its impact. In this blog post, we will explore the concept of evil in the context of the ReStory process and discuss the importance of rediscovering the first story.
The Role of Evil
Evil seeks to dehumanize and diminish the inherent glory that God has written into each person. It wants us to believe that our participation in this dehumanization is the cause of our shame. Shame tells us that we are not enough, that our actions have defined an alternate story for our lives. We become addicts, depressed, afraid, or hypervigilant, trapped in the second story that we can't escape.
Diminishing the Image of God
Evil, unable to scar the face of God Himself, approaches those who bear the image of God – us, God's children. Its mission is to steal, kill, and destroy anything that reflects the nature of God within us. Evil wants to diminish, destroy, and decimate those specific parts of ourselves that remind us of God. In this way, it seeks to shatter the shalom, the right relationship between God, ourselves, and others.
The Restory Approach
Our Restory approach focuses on bridging the gap between aloneness and connectedness. We believe that the core of the gospel is all about connection – God with us, and us with one another. The restorative power lies in our ability to journey with individuals into their stories of harm, trauma, and struggle. It is not enough for them to merely tell us about their experiences; we must enter those narratives with them, immersing ourselves in the scenes where evil was at work.
Shalom and Healing
Restory is ultimately a seeking of shalom, the restoration of right relationships with God, ourselves, and others. Trauma and pain result from the aloneness we experience when facing these struggles. By being present with individuals in their narratives, we can bear witness to the glory within them. As we offer a different narrative, one that reflects the essence of the gospel, we provide a pathway to healing. Tools and techniques alone cannot mitigate anxiety or addiction; true healing requires the presence of another in the places where trauma first took root.
Recovering the First Story
The ReStory process involves recovering the forgotten or previously unknown first story, the story of God's design for who He made us to be. This first story often becomes overshadowed by the ruling narrative of the second story, the story of shame and struggle. The ReStory approach helps us uncover the generosity, kindness, and awareness of how evil has attacked the image of God within us. Through this process, we can reclaim our true identity and live out the first story rather than being bound by the second.
Evil plays a significant role in the restory process, seeking to dehumanize and diminish our inherent glory. However, by understanding the impact of evil on our lives, we can embark on a journey of rediscovering the first story – the story of God's design for us. Through connection, presence, and a focus on shalom, we can break free from the second story and experience true healing. The ReStory approach invites individuals to reclaim their identity, embracing the hope and restoration found in the gospel.
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