The message + ministry of reconciliation

“And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” 

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 NLT

Therapists + counselors are well-acquainted with the concept of rupture and repair in relationship. A relationship is whole, it becomes ruptured by wrongdoing, and it can be repaired through repentance, forgiveness, and a great deal of humility. A relationship becomes richer, more intimate, and more resilient through this process.

This, but even more grand, is the story of the Gospel.

The message of Jesus addresses humanity’s once-whole relationship with God, how it was ruptured by our willful wrongdoing, and then - the unfailing, incomprehensible love of God to give everything, even His own Son, in an effort to repair our relationship with Him.

The Good News is that the wronged (God) has pursued us, His wrongdoers, to the very ends of the earth and invites us now back into relationship with Him. He offers compassion, forgiveness, and unfailing kindness as a gift to the very people who hated and hurt Him, and we receive that gift by turning from sin towards His Son, Jesus, who gave His life for us.

This reconciliation of sinners’  hearts to God through Jesus is the message and ministry every Christian is called to. Notice how this task is reserved for those who have, themselves, been ‘brought back’ - in other words, have had their relationship with God repaired - through Jesus.

Have you believed and accepted Jesus Christ as the saving Atonement for your sins? Having repented and received the gift of forgiveness, do you continue in that relationship, including with His Body, the Church - experiencing rupture, pursuing repair, and growing in grace and intimacy? If your answer is ‘no’, that is your first step. You are invited again and again to turn from sin to Him, no matter how much time has passed or how far you have gone astray. He longs for close relationship with each of us and His love never fails, even when we have.

We cannot be ministers + ambassadors of reconciliation if we have not experienced it first.

Then, as we walk in the light and truth of the Good News, we are called to the task of inviting others to be reconciled to God. How exactly?

In my experience, therapists + counselors have countless opportunities to model the freedom of the Gospel by humbly acknowledging our misattunements and failures to love our clients - first to God, then to the clients we have failed, as the Holy Spirit leads us.

We can be honest about when we miss the mark.

We humbly ask God to forgive our own sins and know He has.

Likewise, we can quietly acknowledge our clients’ failures, so, by the power and grace of God, we do ‘not count their sins against them.’

The reality is clients sin against us often - rejecting our sincere efforts to connect, idealizing or condemning us, and/or treating us in dehumanizing ways. They don’t know what they’re doing. Nevertheless, it’s burdensome.

We must be honest in our own hearts about the burden of clients’ sin, go to God with it, and choose to forgive because we have been forgiven. He fills us with strength and stamina for our work, so we can keep on showing up in love.

We reject the worldly view that sin is non-existent, not harmful, or, on the other hand, not conquerable.

We reject the worldly way of hiding in shame, secretly resenting those who have harmed us, or paying back hurt with more hurt.

Rather, we intercede on our clients’ behalf, praying for more of God’s grace and mercy in their lives. We are honest with our clients, speaking the truth in love to them. We carry the unshakable hope of repair and reconciliation, knowing that nothing and no one is too far gone for God’s redemptive power.

While we are rarely in a position to directly tell clients about Jesus, we are in a position to be honest and to embody His compassion, forgiveness, and kindness.

All of this ultimately is a subtle invitation to ‘Come back to God.’ Isn’t it God’s kindness that turns us from our sin? This is what we wait and hope for for every client.

Whether shouted from the rooftops to a suffering humanity or subtly conveyed to one hurting heart in therapy, the message and ministry of reconciliation is our task.

Everything is repaired in and through and by Jesus. There is Hope and His name is Jesus.