professional christians?
Today I had a stimulating conversation about Christian therapists, with one of my teammates, Justin. Justin is probably one of my more favorite people on the team. He is a white water kayaking guide on the weekends, he is super-sarcastic, and he laughs at my jokes. For some reason some of my other teammates don't seem to take him seriously, and I can tell he is tuned in to that fact.
Anyway, tonight I found myself alone with him in the office and somehow our conversation turned to a Christian therapist who is working with one of his clients. Justin has lots of questions and concerns about methods being used by this therapist, and he mentioned them to me to get my perspective. I definitely see the basis for his concerns, and the question I posed to him is whether or not he feels that the methods are actually helping the child. Basically the therapist has advised the child that whenever he is having thoughts of a particular nature, he should snap the rubber band that is on his wrist and quote a Bible verse.
I have heard of the rubber band technique before, the idea being that the individual will associate the pain (of snapping the rubber band) with the negative behavior, and eventually begin to lessen the behavior in order to reduce the pain caused by the rubber band. But the Bible verse Justin mentioned to me had nothing to do at all with the particular behavior or issue in question. Justin and I both agreed that it wasn't the Bible verse that was an issue (as far as I was concerned, the therapist could have the kid quoting from the Koran), but more that the technique didn't seem relevant at all to the situation.
Justin is not a Christian, and admitted that he is very skeptical of people who are "very religious" and especially those who try to apply religion to a therapeutic treatment. Today I caught myself siding with him, in essence against this Christian professional. This discussion broadened, and I went off on a tirade about Christian professionals on the whole, and how so many times it seems that a lower standard is accepted as long as someone is a Christian. Too many times, as is most likely the case with this therapist, people gravitate to someone (or something) because she (or it) is aligned with their personal beliefs, and not because they actually expect to receive a quality product or service. It saddens me very much to admit to this, and I basically had to apologize to a very wide-eyed Justin who seemed a little regretful that he had opened up a subject about which I am obviously passionate.
Anyway, I am starting to think that it is better for people to sometimes find out you're a Christian after the fact - after you have already loved them and added beauty to their lives ... and maybe it's not about the label at all, maybe it's just about the life.
on a brighter note ...
I know, I know, I was going to avoid the blog for a while.
I just feel bad about all the negative words lately. Very unlike me, actually. It still surprises me (but also thrills me) to hear from others that I am "such a positive person" and that I "brighten up a room just by being in it" (feedback I received at today's team meeting).
I just read this quote, after my last ranting about someone else's space ... and I would rather have this be at the top of the page than my critical thoughts and words. I read it a WHILE back and sort of adopted it as a life philosophy. It still applies, maybe even more now than ever before.
So many changes, so much growth ... so much life around me screaming for me to get off this computer.
"This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy."
-- George Bernard Shaw
please -- take YOUR space ... I don't want it!
A quick follow-up question/comment to the last blog post.
Am I the only person over 20 who has not fallen prey to all the myspace craziness? It's funny, I used to hear all the kids in my program talk about it ... you know, 12 and 13-year-old's who were giggling about the "cute boy" that just added them to his friends' list. Now, somehow I have been transported to an environment where my COLLEAGUES talk about the site more than the pre-teens ever did!
Yikes.
Lest I be deemed as a liar, let me admit I went on to the site ONCE ... but it was only to try to track down a 15-year-old girl who had disappeared from the mentoring program, and also from her mother's house. I had heard from her friends that she had a myspace page, so I tried to find her profile. I did find it, after much searching and much exposure to the current state of the world (I was scared, by the way).
I suppose it can be some sort of a networking tool, but I'm not sure I would want to network with many of the people whose profiles I saw that day. And - call me crazy - but I have this thing about just walking up to someone and talking to them, instead of going home, closing the door, and sitting in front of a computer screen to search for someone to talk to.
I feel like I should start to write a manifesto of some sort. Or maybe that's what I have been doing in these last few posts.
I'm a different sort of person lately, and I'm curious about this process in which I find myself. I'm closer and closer to buying a big ol' 4 wheel drive truck, and have taken steps toward protecting myself and my property. Is it strange to bake cookies, knit, and clean a gun in the same evening? Hmmmm.
if you aint loving, you aint living ...
I have been spending lots of time outside lately: in the woods, in the mountains, wading in streams, and sitting and talking with people. I feel like I have somehow re-connected to the real world.
I was without internet access for several weeks, and I have come to the realization that it wasn't such a bad thing. I try to avoid dependency in any form, and I am honestly very bothered by the fact that recently I had countless people asked me how I have
survived without internet access at home.
I have commented here before on how easy it is to write about living, so much so that I miss the actual magic and wonder of taking my role in the story being written all around me, every moment of each day. I may sit in front of the computer and struggle to conjure up words in an effort to capture the sadness that creeps into my soul as I hear the sun whisper a soulful, almost audible goodbye as it falls into the mountains, but this act is in vain. Life is meant to be lived, not confined to dots and lines on a paper (or bits and bytes on a computer screen).
A recent addition to my life threatens to take the place that writing used to occupy. My digital camera has become an almost permanent fixture in my car and by my side. I witness a spectacular sunset, and I reach for my camera. I notice a certain glimmer in a child's eye, and I want to somehow capture the magic of that moment on film. Again, any efforts of the sort fail miserably. Joy and sadness, anticipation and anxiety ... none of these appear in their authenticity on film or in words. It almost seems to cheapen the moments and the individuals, to suggest that somehow I can do justice to them or the experience in words or by pushing a button on my camera.
So I am pulling away from technology for a bit, and regaining focus on the world around me. It's a world best experienced in hugs, laughter, tears, private sunrises, and soulful sunsets. Another human being will never, ever be able to experience the brilliance of a star-dotted sky as I do, and I am greedily slurping up these moments of light and awe.
There is something inside of me that requires tall trees, intimidating mountains, flowing rivers, gurgling streams, purpley sunsets, and twinkling night skies. These things fill me and flow through me, but I don't enjoy them as much when I keep them to myself. The inspired moments and thoughts, though, are not shared through emails, pictures, or even blog posts like this one ... their magic and beauty is spread when I love another person or say a comforting word that brings a smile to a tear-stained face.
I am convinced that the source of true joy for my soul is other people. It's easier to love them when I love myself, and I love myself best when I am a small dot in a vast, forest-filled, mountain-covered world. So I will put down the camera, and drop out of the blogging world (again), and run through the woods, splash in the streams, and then search for a person to hug and talk to about the green in the trees and the coolness of the water.
I think these mountains are getting to me.
