Hindsight Counseling of Augusta

Figuring out how to sift through both the good and the bad that comes with our “logged on” culture is challenging enough for us as individuals.  When we consider how to make wise decisions concerning computer use within a whole family, it can be overwhelming.  Indeed, we ought to give very careful thought to these matters.  There is much in cyber-space that is dangerous and harmful to all of us, especially our kids.  However, we also must admit that their are some real advantages that come with access to the world wide web.  What’s more, it is the culture in which our neighbors and friends live.   In the article link below auther Tim Kimmel (Grace Based Parenting, Raising Kids for True Greatness, Why Christian Kids Rebel)  points parents to a balanced view of making wise choices to protect our families while not giving into a fear-based mode of parenting that causes us to go “off-the-grid” with technology.  It is with Gospel-based preparation that our kids know they can be strong enough to say ”no” to temptation because they have grasped the great blessing and strength of saying “yes” to Christ and His transforming work.  A protection-only strategy may shield our kids from immediate dangers, but it leaves them weakened and unable to experience the reality of “he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4).

Read Kids and Technology by Tim Kimmel

I lived for many years in a beach town.  One of the constant warnings local officials gave to those who wanted to go for a swim in the ocean was to beware of rip currents.  These strong currents were common with certain weather conditions and could carry a swimmer far off the coast despite the swimmer’s best efforts to swim against the current.  Ironically, it was a healthy examination of a swimmer’s fear that was the difference between life and death.  A well-used fear of these currents prepared swimmers to know that if they were caught in a rip tide, then they needed to think clearly enough to resist the natural inclination to swim toward the shore—useless against a powerful tide–and instead swim parallel to shore and out of the deadly current.   How a swimmer dealt with the frightening experience of getting caught in danger determined everything.

Fear is never an enjoyable thing to experience in life.  Physical danger aside, when it is the fear of some unsettling circumstance or the fear of losing a valued relationship, we don’t like it.  When we are in the midst of fear, the natural reaction we have is to make it go away as quickly as possible.  We look for safer ground.   However, there is a redemptive way to use the fear we experience.  In fact, it is through fear that God calls us toward himself and away from spiritual danger.  In Religious Affections Jonathan Edwards writes,

Fear and love are the two deep feelings that drive our lives.  As one grows, the other diminishes.  When we fall into selfishness, when our love falls asleep, we are exposed to spiritual danger; that is why God has wisely created us so that these two opposite feelings, love and fear, rise and fall in our hearts, like the two opposite scales of a balance; when one rises the other sinks…Love is the spirit of adoption; it affirms the childlike inner person who is intimately connected to God.  If we lose touch with this part of ourselves, we experience anxiety and a spirit of bondage; we become slaves to our selfish drives.  But when love, the spirit of adoption, grows in our hearts, it drives away all fear.

When we experience fear, a thoughtful examination of exactly what is making us so scared is a good move.  What is it that we want that we are not getting?  What aspect of our lives is in jeopardy?  We often sense that “something’s not right” anxiety rising in us.  This is exactly how God uses fear redemptively, for he is letting us face the darkness of losing sight of His love for us. The natural “drives” of our hearts move us to pursue things that seem good to us but in reality wall us off from Him and His purposes.  It is that darkness that speaks to us and tells us not just to prop up that thing we fear losing, but to move back to a place of intimate connection with God.  If we miss this, we get caught in the dangerous cycle of swimming hard against the current of our fears yet never escaping their control.  We may work very hard yet never overcome the obstacle.  It is not mainly our effort but our orientation that makes all the difference.  We must find our direction back toward God.  Our fears are often a gift of God—a severe mercy– to reveal the drift of our hearts.  Fear teaches the superiority of God’s love for those over that thing we chase that promises life yet produces only worry and darkness.

So, the next time you sense fear rising in your life, don’t automatically choose the quickest path to make it go away.  Instead, ask how this fear pushes you away from danger and back toward the “perfect love that drives out all fear.”

One of the most common situations that develops in a marriage that is experiencing challenging times is a “you first” attitude to change.  Spouses look at each other and say, “When you start doing a better job with your side of this, then I will start to look at how I can help, too.”  These matrimonial stare-downs can last for months and often years, and, as the time goes by, so does hope that things will ever get better.  One of the beautiful things that the grace of Christ imparts to a marriage is the freedom for each spouse to look at more honestly at himself or herself and then commit to being the first one to change. 

CCEF Counselor Winston Smith talks about this practical step in marital transformation below.  He very wisely tells married folks that when you “go first” then the marriage has begun to change.   The commitment we make to being the one to take the first step is the seed-bed where Christ grows his work in our lives.

Welcome to the new website for Hindsight Biblical Counseling of Augusta,  Georgia.  This is the place to find out everything you need to know about our ministry to the CSRA.  Here is what you can expect from our site:

• Weekly blog posts focusing on biblical change.  The heart of HBC’s ministry is to see the truth and grace that Christ offers us effect transformation in our lives.  We will reflect consistently on ideas and resources that  move us to love and pursue the change that God promises.  Together we can joyfully seek a richer life of grace.
• Essential information on counseling services.  This site lets you know how to request and prepare for counseling through HBC Augusta.  If someone desires counseling, we want the process to be as clear and hopeful as possible.  Our site gives you what you will need and what you can expect as you engage in counseling. 
• Training opportunities.  The ministry of HBC looks to encourage personal change through teaching and educational opportunities that help people understand how to apply Scripture to everyday life.  Look for when these opportunities are happening around the CSRA.  If you have an idea about how our ministry can better serve our region, please let us know.

Visit our site often to join in the pursuit of grace-driven transformation.  It is the hardest and best thing we can ever desire.