Preserving emotional health during your time of crisis involves reaching out for help. As with the old adage, it takes a village to raise a child, so it is with emotional healing. This is not something you should tackle alone. Isolation creates problems.
It may prove difficult finding positive avenues of support, but it is crucial. Consider talking to a pastor, certified counselor, or psychologist. There is also the option of confiding in a spiritually mature, trustworthy friend or family member. A person who has walked through infidelity or other types of betrayal can be an excellent choice, provided they have done the hard work of forgiveness and healing.
It will take you great courage to step out and share your life with a stranger and finding the right person may prove difficult, but it will be worth the effort.
The first Christian counselor we went to for help unfortunately did not give sound advice. After a couple of sessions, he told my husband that what he did was not that bad. I was shocked and troubled by this.
When I confronted him, he apologized and tried to explain that he didn’t want David to feel too badly because there were men who did much worse. (When I dug a little deeper, I found out he was one of them.)
This counselor’s counsel could have had devastating repercussions had David believed that because there are other men with bigger problems, he was okay. Thankfully he understood his sin needed to be confronted and forgiven, not whitewashed. I commend him for both telling me and not buying into this untruth. He was genuinely tired of the lies he had told himself and others, and desired change.
We terminated this counselor’s services immediately because his advice did not line up with Scripture. In our vulnerable state it was difficult not to lose hope and deem all counsel unworthy. Nonetheless we persevered.
Like this photo blurred from the humidity gathered on the camera lens, your vision may need extra help to see life clearly, I know mine sure did.
It took a few months to find a wonderful Christian counselor who concentrated on our individual inner healing first. When she thought we were ready to tackle rebuilding our marriage, she recommended a marriage counselor whose information on conflict resolution proved invaluable. In the end the benefits of counseling were well worth the exhaustive search and added expense.