“He who has faith has... an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assuring trust that all will come out well - even though to the world it may appear to come out most badly.” - B.C. Forbes
I try hard to cling to this faith. Recent events had disturbed some of my inner faith holdings… one of my coworker’s grandsons was murdered by another child. You really sit and think about life and the world when you hear that an 8 year-old was killed by a 16 year-old. It shakes you to the core of your very being, and just makes your heart ache. How can a world be so cruel?
I was thinking yesterday about my decision to go into mental health counseling, especially my decision to work with other children. I questioned how much I really wanted to go into this field, and whether or not I could do it after hearing about this. After much and still continuous reflection, I had come to a decision regarding my future. I am going to keep the path I am on. I will have the training and chance to help others, and if I can even only help one person with their pain or suffering… it will be worth it. As a counselor, we have to work not to take our work home with us. We try our hardest to help our clients, but ultimately it is up to our clients to take that initiative to change… not us. Perhaps maybe the hardest thing to realize is that we cannot help everyone and not everyone wants our help. Ultimately, some things are beyond our control as counselors… and people. It’s one of the many ambiguities you have to face as a counselor.
I look back on the quote on the quote at the beginning of this entry, and I hope and pray I can remember it when the bad, ugly side of the world rears its head like this. I pray not only for the victim’s (my coworker’s) family, but also for the suspect’s family as well. May they both take comfort in God’s love as they deal with their grief, loss, and pain. Two families are torn apart by this senseless tragedy. We will probably never understand the “what’s” and “why’s” of this situation… and perhaps, that is what hurts the most…
I just continue to pray for the soul of young boy and for those suffering with his sudden loss that they may eventually find peace.
