"If you understood this, you would beg me to give you living water as well; for whoever drinks natural water soon thirsts again,
but whoever drinks of the water that I give will discover a well that springs up within, overflowing with eternal life."
Lauren Daigle: How Can It Be?
Begging Jesus
What is the difference between psychological and spiritual needs?
Recall the story of the woman at the well. Jesus asked her for a drink of water. Thinking this odd, she pointed out the social repercussions of his request. Ignoring the comment, he went to the heart of his mission: an inclusive invitation to eternal life, that is, to know the Savior and worship the Father!
But suppose this troubled Samaritan woman, instead of encountering the Savior of the World, had met a modern day psychologist. Let renowned Professor of clinical psychology Dr. Jordan Petersen describe situations that happen far too often:
"Therapists with a little second-hand knowledge of Freud often axiomatically assume that a distressed adult in their practice must have been subject to childhood sexual abuse. Why else would they be distressed? So, they dig, and infer, and intimate, and suggest, and overreact, and bias and tilt. They exaggerate the importance of some events, and downplay the importance of others. They trim the facts to fit their theory. And they convince their clients that they were sexually abused--if they could only remember. And then the clients start to remember. And then they start to accuse. And sometimes what they remember never happened, and the people accused are innocent. The good news? At least the therapist's theory remains intact. That's good--for the therapist. But there's no shortage of collateral damage. However, people are often willing to produce a lot of collateral damage if they can retain their theory [and justify their behavior].
When you are remembering the past, as well, you remember some parts of it and forget others. You have clear memories of some things that happened, but not others, of potentially equal import—just as in the present you are aware of some aspects of your surroundings and unconscious of others. You categorize your experience, grouping some elements together, and separating them from the rest. There is a mysterious arbitrariness about all of this. You don’t form a comprehensive, objective record. You can’t. You just don’t know enough. You just can’t perceive enough. You’re not objective, either. You’re alive. You’re subjective. You have vested interests—at least in yourself, at least usually. What exactly should be included in the story? Where exactly is the border between events?" (Dr. Jordan Petersen, 12 Rules For Life. emphasis added)
The process of convincing Samaritan Woman that He had something she needed included an accurate description of her present condition. "Go call your husband," Jesus directed her. "I have no husband," she replied. "Correct," he pressed, "the truth of the matter is, you have had five husbands and the man you are now with is not your husband!"
She could very well have shared a similar story to one of Dr. Petersen's clients: "I knew about all this when Miss S came to talk to me about her sexual experiences. When she recounted her trips to the singles bars, and their recurring aftermath, I thought a bunch of things at once. I thought, “You’re so vague and so non-existent. You’re a denizen of chaos and the underworld. You are going ten different places at the same time. Anyone can take you by the hand and guide you down the road of their choosing.” After all, if you’re not the leading man in your own drama, you’re a bit player in someone else’s—and you might well be assigned to play a dismal, lonely and tragic part." (Ibid.)
We, sadly, are all "denizens of chaos and the underworld." Its why Jesus came to this corrupted world.
Jesus took no time to probe Ms. Samaritan Well Lady's past to figure out why she found herself in the present condition. She found herself face to face with Being-Who-Knew-All-Things-But-Didn't-Condemn-Her and drawn to Answers to questions choked away by faulty memory and the difficulties of this world. The change in her was marked and effervescent! Her testimony to the Savior changed an entire town!
To know God is the Only Answer to the haunting questions every human being struggles with: why am I here and who could love the mess I've made of myself?
Psychology may help uncover the how you came to be such a mess or give some catharsis to your supposed victimhood, but it can never answer the essential question:
Dr. Petersen points out and the Samaritan Woman testifies:
The present can change the past,
and the future can change the present.
But Only a Righteous Savior can do that!
--Jesus
Begging Jesus
What is the difference between psychological and spiritual needs?
Recall the story of the woman at the well. Jesus asked her for a drink of water. Thinking this odd, she pointed out the social repercussions of his request. Ignoring the comment, he went to the heart of his mission: an inclusive invitation to eternal life, that is, to know the Savior and worship the Father!
But suppose this troubled Samaritan woman, instead of encountering the Savior of the World, had met a modern day psychologist. Let renowned Professor of clinical psychology Dr. Jordan Petersen describe situations that happen far too often:
"Therapists with a little second-hand knowledge of Freud often axiomatically assume that a distressed adult in their practice must have been subject to childhood sexual abuse. Why else would they be distressed? So, they dig, and infer, and intimate, and suggest, and overreact, and bias and tilt. They exaggerate the importance of some events, and downplay the importance of others. They trim the facts to fit their theory. And they convince their clients that they were sexually abused--if they could only remember. And then the clients start to remember. And then they start to accuse. And sometimes what they remember never happened, and the people accused are innocent. The good news? At least the therapist's theory remains intact. That's good--for the therapist. But there's no shortage of collateral damage. However, people are often willing to produce a lot of collateral damage if they can retain their theory [and justify their behavior].
When you are remembering the past, as well, you remember some parts of it and forget others. You have clear memories of some things that happened, but not others, of potentially equal import—just as in the present you are aware of some aspects of your surroundings and unconscious of others. You categorize your experience, grouping some elements together, and separating them from the rest. There is a mysterious arbitrariness about all of this. You don’t form a comprehensive, objective record. You can’t. You just don’t know enough. You just can’t perceive enough. You’re not objective, either. You’re alive. You’re subjective. You have vested interests—at least in yourself, at least usually. What exactly should be included in the story? Where exactly is the border between events?" (Dr. Jordan Petersen, 12 Rules For Life. emphasis added)
The process of convincing Samaritan Woman that He had something she needed included an accurate description of her present condition. "Go call your husband," Jesus directed her. "I have no husband," she replied. "Correct," he pressed, "the truth of the matter is, you have had five husbands and the man you are now with is not your husband!"
She could very well have shared a similar story to one of Dr. Petersen's clients: "I knew about all this when Miss S came to talk to me about her sexual experiences. When she recounted her trips to the singles bars, and their recurring aftermath, I thought a bunch of things at once. I thought, “You’re so vague and so non-existent. You’re a denizen of chaos and the underworld. You are going ten different places at the same time. Anyone can take you by the hand and guide you down the road of their choosing.” After all, if you’re not the leading man in your own drama, you’re a bit player in someone else’s—and you might well be assigned to play a dismal, lonely and tragic part." (Ibid.)
We, sadly, are all "denizens of chaos and the underworld." Its why Jesus came to this corrupted world.
Jesus took no time to probe Ms. Samaritan Well Lady's past to figure out why she found herself in the present condition. She found herself face to face with Being-Who-Knew-All-Things-But-Didn't-Condemn-Her and drawn to Answers to questions choked away by faulty memory and the difficulties of this world. The change in her was marked and effervescent! Her testimony to the Savior changed an entire town!
To know God is the Only Answer to the haunting questions every human being struggles with: why am I here and who could love the mess I've made of myself?
Psychology may help uncover the how you came to be such a mess or give some catharsis to your supposed victimhood, but it can never answer the essential question:
How Do I Become Right?
Dr. Petersen points out and the Samaritan Woman testifies:
The present can change the past,
and the future can change the present.
But Only a Righteous Savior can do that!
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Comments are welcome. You can post them here or send me an email: clyon2msu@gmail.com. Thanks for reading, hope you are encouraged, blessed, challenged and grow stronger in your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Charlie