The gift and burden of insight! (Confessions of a counselor)

I like getting insights into people. People are amazing. I’ve never met a person who didn’t amaze me on some level. And people are always more complex than you assume.

I studied, been in and done counseling for many years, but you never fully get perfect at how to use best the insights you get into people. I think I’ve gotten better at it, but it’s still always humbling to see into people.

I get insights into people often. Sometimes its good and helpful in loving them. Other times, its like the girl jogging in that scene from the film “Run Lola Run”, where she sees into every person she passes. Too much information, and you have to filter it, or let it go.

Plus, it requires relationship to help in healing. Often, I’ll see into people I don’t yet know. That’s a unique challenge.

 I suppose it’s learning how to steward discernment or insight. It’s meant to bless people, but some days, it’s more like an overload of information. Sometimes your eyes get seared by what you see, as in trauma situations. There is visual trauma as well. Seeing someone’s hurt or wound too quickly or all at once. This happened yesterday several times—like reading too much of other’s mail. I’m sure this happens to counselors all the time, and they have to release what they have seen. “Take it to the Cross” daily as they say. To the Cross often, is my version. “His burden is “light”—it is insight into how things really are, and He knows how much we can carry. And only He can carry that level of vision. Still He lets us see little parts of what He sees in order to get to know Him.”

 I’ll keep jogging and seeing though! I like people. And it’s worth it to gaze into hearts. Gazing well (in love) is underrated in healing! Even when afterwards, it feels a bit like having watched a horror movie. Other times, it’s lighter. Yesterday was working with a girl with panic attacks who has been recently traumatized, so it was more like horror movie feeling afterwards. Always amazed at how much suffering some can endure. Make me turn often to “The Man of Sorrows”, who is intimately acquainted with all our grief. That practice becomes part of your spirituality if you like to counsel people.

  Anyway, if you never saw that film, it’s still great. I think I’ll re-watch it tonight in fact—great soundtrack, shot mostly in Berlin, i think. She uses her gifts to save her man in the end. A redemptive healing story. But somedays discernment is harder to carry than others. You wish you could just turn it off. Still, i would rather see than be blind, when it comes to people and places. And love people rather than not care about them. This is the burden and gift of awareness i suppose. I’m just learning to run with it.