Hope, Healing, and the Journey Together

By Heather Maino, LCSW – Clinical Director of Counseling, Living Well Professional Counseling

Struggle is real. God is real.

How do we reconcile addiction, betrayal, loss, loneliness, inadequacy, or trauma with a belief that God is loving, good, and all-knowing?

The heroes of faith wrestled with the same tensions—struggles, trauma, and spiritual warfare. Sanctification often comes through the hard. There is no blessing protection plan for believers, though we often expect one. That expectation is a lie from the enemy, distorting truth and whispering pain into our hearts.

These deep questions are daily bread for a Christian Counselor. Lately, I’ve found myself drawn to Job. He was righteous, blessed in every way—until he wasn’t. Job didn’t see the cosmic battle that affirmed God’s confidence in him. Instead, he struggled with the dissonance between who he knew God to be and what he was experiencing.

His friends tried to help—but with problem-solving and criticism. They were truly miserable counselors. I long for Job to have had someone trained to sit with him through the grief, trauma, and pain. Someone gifted to walk beside him. Someone who was simply with him.

That’s what Christian Counselors do. We offer compassionate presence. We help others behold God in their pain and create space for that truth to bring healing. God gifts Christian Counselors with discernment, mercy, exhortation, and shepherding—paired with clinical skill—to help others heal.

When a person seeks the gift of a Christian Counselor’s presence, it is a holy thing. Christian Counselors are deep wells of hope and healing, holding space with consistency and love. We are the compassionate arms of Jesus, extended to His hurting body.

If you or someone you know is in need of compassionate, Christ-centered counseling, Living Well Professional Counseling is here to walk with you on the journey to healing.

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