Can you love as a witness? Can you be a listener rather than a savior?
I think that fixing things is one of the most natural desires of someone who is called to ministry. It seems to me that most of us have a caring heart and are often called upon to fix things, to mend broken relationships, to help sift through the rubble of a shattered life. As I learned in CPE it is not our job to fix. God fixes. It is our job to listen, to be a non-anxious presence so that the person in crisis can reflect upon their situation and discern their own way forward. Sure we are there to help facilitate that reflection, to dig deeply into the thoughts and feelings so that person has a clearer picture, but we cannot fix. We have no control over the other person's actions. I have found from my own experience that when I try to fix somehting I become frustrated becasue that person does not do what I would do. That's the thing, I have to tell myself that I am not here to fix, God does that, but I can listen and help facilitate reflection.
Lord, help to listen more deeply, help me to guide those in need through careful reflection so that they may discern your will in the life; I know that I do not have the power to fix or heal, that comes from you alone. Amen.
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