When counsel blurs into abuse

“There’s a prayer for that…” In other words, “Pray and all will be fixed.” “Forgive in all circumstances, no matter what they’ve done.” “I’m sure they didn’t mean to hurt you.” “Don’t worry so much about the abuse they mete out to you, what about your sin?” Such dangerous philosophies for life. I won’t call it theology, because that makes a false doctrine something it could never be. None of us makes God our very own whipping boy.

This is something for every ‘minister’ to be wary of, whether they be pastors, counsellors, chaplains, or anything else. Words have power, as does the person who says words of counsel. With full belief a person will walk out of the room, unbeknownst to them, abused by crikey.

Some are switched on enough to know that something wasn’t quite right. This unnerves even the naivest disciple. Something amiss leaves one striving for explanation even if only their spirit knows.

Counsel blurs into abuse in the untidy second the helper is so self-assured that they reel out a cliché of convenience in a metaphorical wiping of hands on a job well done. It is a job well done of evil, that’s what. That helper has played right into the accuser’s hands.

The very moment the ‘minister’ does something or thinks something or says something without cognisance that “gee, this might be wrong” is the moment all of heaven holds it breathe aghast at the arrows flung from the enemy itself.

I could go on, but what does it matter? It matters! Lives are thrown about, tossed on life’s waves, to and fro, because of the careless whispers of those ‘qualified’ to counsel.

All. Listen. Stop. Words. Cut. Deep.

Wisdom, on the other hand, feeds an army in the succinctness of a sigh.

Photo by Davide Cantelli on Unsplash