How to Identify Your Burdens and Lay Them Down with the Help of Christian Counseling

Jesus famously states,

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. – Matthew 11:28-30

This is a magnificent promise. Who doesn’t want to live a life of rest, walking in lightheartedness and ease? Unfortunately, lightheartedness and ease are experiences that many Christians cannot relate to today. Despite the promises of Jesus, many people feel worn down, heavy-laden, and stressed. Individual Christian counseling in Beverly Hills can help you experience freedom from the exhaustion of life by clinging to the promises of Christ.

Why am I so Tired and Stressed?

The sources of exhaustion and worry are endless in the world today. If it isn’t financial concerns, it’s family drama. If it isn’t family drama, it’s medical issues. If it isn’t medical issues, then it’s past abuse and trauma. The list goes on and on. There are many things in life that can add to a person’s burdens and few things that remove weight to make life feel lighthearted and easy.

For those who feel trapped, individual Christian counseling in Beverly Hills can help you experience the freedom that Jesus offers. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “Come to me.” The promise requires action. If you are to experience rest, then you will need to first come to Him and be in His presence. You will need to acknowledge your burden and learn to lay it down while taking up His new yoke.

Individual Christian counseling in Beverly Hills can help you enter the presence of Jesus, clearly identify your burdens, and lay those burdens down. In the business of life, it is easy to feel trapped in a cycle of work, stress, and no rest, followed by more work, stress, and no rest. By pursuing Christian counseling, you will be choosing a step toward health, wholeness, and the rest that Jesus has for you.

Is Individual Christian Counseling for Me?

The ideas of rest and wholeness sound great, but how do you know if the difficulties in your life warrant counseling? To help you decide, here are some of the most common reasons people enter individual Christian counseling:

• Persistent feelings of depression, anxiety, or stress
• Difficulty building healthy, lasting relationships
• Addiction (i.e. alcohol, drugs, sex, food)
• Inability to focus at work or school
• Difficulty coping with changes in life
• Adult or childhood trauma
• Family issues
• Eating disorders
• Isolation and loneliness

If you resonate with any of these topics, then individual Christian counseling might be for you. What’s important to recognize is that experiences like these are serious burdens you carry in life. If you are going to take up the light and easy yoke of Jesus, you will first need to lay down the yoke you have been carrying.

Doing this is easier said than done. That’s why it is invaluable to have a safe, professionally trained, Christian counselor who can help you identify your unique burdens, process them, and create a plan to lay them down.

What Can I Expect from Christian Counseling?

While there are different opinions about counseling in the world today, there is a growing consensus around its effectiveness. In general, psychotherapy has been proven effective in treating a variety of mental and behavioral health problems.

When tried and tested psychological theories and practices are paired with deep knowledge and understanding of the Word of God, then stepping into lasting freedom is more possible than ever. As you work with your counselor to understand your own story and personal burdens more clearly, then you will be able to lay them down at the feet of Jesus and step into the full life He promised.

This life is characterized by:

Finding Joy – Learning to release your anxiety and process your depression so you can live a life of lightheartedness.

Fellowship with Others – As you process your own struggles, you will find greater space to be with others and learn how to engage in healthy relationships.

Deepened Faith – When your doubts arise, you will learn to address them in a safe place with your counselor.

Moving Beyond Your Wounds – Everyone carries pain in life from difficult experiences, and a counselor can help you release these traumatic memories and help you experience greater peace.

Correcting Harmful Behavior – Sometimes the stress of your burden can lead you to cope in ways that aren’t healthy like drinking, drug use, or sexual promiscuity. Meeting with a professional counselor can help you address the underlying issues and give you practical advice on how to manage your unwanted behavior.

Knowing Who You Are – Finding your identity can take people a long time. When you aren’t sure who you are, it is difficult to step into the life Jesus has for you. Individual counseling can help you discover who you really are, allowing you to step into the calling and life Jesus has for you.

If you want characteristics like these to define your life, then reach out to a counselor today. You will not regret taking steps toward wholeness and healing.

What is Christian Counseling like?

For those who have never experienced counseling, the thought of starting can be daunting. You likely have questions like:

• “Do they make me lay on the couch?”
• “Are they going to try to make me cry?”
• “Are they going to judge me?”

Questions like these are natural. If you are concerned about what individual Christian counseling is like, here are some of the basics:

A Place to Be Heard

Christian counseling offers a place to be heard. In the world today, there are few places where people will truly listen to you. Everything is moving so fast in the modern world that even intimate conversations are interrupted by buzzing cellphones and preoccupied minds.

However, counselors intentionally create a place where they can listen to you undistracted. You will have a safe space to tell your story and share your thoughts uninterrupted. The first few sessions will consist of you sharing your story and why you came into counseling. After that, you will be able to process with your counselor whatever you feel is most important. From here on, it will look different from person to person.

A Place to Be Real

Counseling offers you a place to be real. No matter how much you trust your family or close friends, they always have a bias. They are close to you and care about you, but they have their own ideas of how you should behave.

A counselor, on the other hand, sits in a unique place. They care about you and want you to get better but do not have a personal connection to your life. They know you but don’t know your friends, family, or who you work with.

This allows them to play a unique role in your life. Your counselor can be your safe harbor with whom you can share all your thoughts and feelings that might hurt other people, cause conflict, or push people away. This is invaluable. A huge part of growth and healing is having somewhere you can safely express what you are thinking and feeling. That is what the counseling office offers.

A Place to Practice

Finally, counseling offers you a place to practice. In life, having hard conversations is a serious matter. Sometimes you only have one real chance to have an important conversation, and the repercussions of that conversation could be profoundly serious.

Counselors can help you practice having conversations like this in a safe environment. They can then repeat back to you what they hear and what you are communicating. Sometimes what you mean and what you say don’t line up.

They also will help you outline plans and strategies to achieve your goals. Whether you are trying to be more sociable or break away from an addiction, you will be able to practice the skills you learn in counseling and try to apply them in life. As you succeed and fail in the process, you will have a safe, listening presence to report back to and get feedback from.

Conclusion

If you feel stuck and don’t know how to move forward, or like you aren’t growing in life, then individual Christian counseling is for you. It will provide a safe place for you to lay down your burdens before Jesus and learn to pick up His easy yoke. It might seem like a big step, but you will not regret pursuing the life Jesus has for you.