welfare. Later, in the fourth chapter, we are reminded to worry about nothing, but to pray about every thing. Unless our lives are ordered in such a manner, we will never be able to fully enjoy the peace of Cod which passes all human un derstanding. In Proverbs 12:25 we learn that anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down. I Peter 5:7 urges us to unload on the Lord all of our cares and concerns. In prayer we are to come to the Lord telling Him all of the things which bur den us. These situations we are to leave in His hands. Remember God's promise, “ Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind (imagination) is stayed on thee" (Isaiah 26:3). Our thought life is to be focused centrally on the Lord. We also encourage you to read Psalm 37 speaking of the danger of fretting, and then adding sever al very positive suggestions. Anxiety will generally produce tension. As counsellors we like to suggest practical things which will help the individual to relax. In ad dition to activities of a physical na ture, one of the best things to help is prayer. It is unfortunate that so many people who have been weighed down with burdens and cares seem to turn to the Lord in the last place. Here is a very practical exercise for you to try. Ask yourself, “ Dur ing the past week how much time have I spent worrying? What did I worry about? What did it accom plish What do I think would be a better way to deal with the prob lem?" This will help you to get your problems in a better perspec tive. Q. “ What is your impression of transactional analysis? Do you feel Page 20
it is compatible with the Christian faith? Is it a useful tool in coun selling those in trouble?" A. To use the simplest terms to describe this we might say it ac tually deals with transactions which take place in a person's mind. We all have various thoughts through out the day. We think of alterna tives to our problems. Such trans actions take place mentally. Since many people with no background in the field of psychology get con fused, the idea has been to come up with readily understandable terms. In transactional analysis, the ther apists seek to explain the termin ology. The mind is presented as having three characteristics: that of a parent, a child and an adult. When we carry on transactions with ourselves we behave either in a childish manner, parental manner, or as an adult. People are told to examine themselves. Of course, Scripturally, this is good for believ ers too. We see ourselves as acting impulsively or in an overly depen dent fashion which would be as a child. When we become overly judgmental, rejecting, being overly critical, so that we do not step for ward, then we may be carrying on as a parent. The adult tends to make considerations in a more reasonable, rational, mature fash ion. The object of transactional analysis seeks to get people to use their adult minds more often than they would their child or parent attitudes. Many tools available to us as Christians in themselves are neith er good or bad. It all depends up on how we put into practice such materials. Our desire is to help others to grow and mature in the faith, that we may come more into
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker