CCC 28-4_LR

HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS

Sharon May, Ph.D. GOD’S NEW OIL FOR THE SECOND HALF FILLED AGAIN:

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On my desk sits a picture of a small, old clay jar with a wick protruding from it. I first found it during a pivotal sea son, when my husband and I had left behind everything familiar to start over in a new city and a new ministry. We arrived on the eve of Thanksgiving, digging through boxes to find pots and pans to cook Thanksgiving dinner with family and new friends. My word for that year was “Ignite.” I was starting fresh and on fire, full of plans and a vision for my flame to burn bright and bold. However, as the months went by, I did not feel ignited at all. Nothing was sparking in me. I kept wait ing for the fire, and it just would not appear. That is when

I found the picture of the clay jar with its extended, fresh, white wick. God nudged me to look closer at the picture. And I saw it. There was no oil in the jar, and I knew right away that the jar represented me. I was sitting in the lamp, ready, but I was not lit. My oil had dried up. A lamp cannot burn without fuel; it cannot give light when it is not lit. I had been pouring myself out for so long, giving my best hours and my fullest attention to counseling clients and everyone who needed me. For those of us who do this work, we call this type of exhaustion compassion fatigue. It is the growing weariness in people who spend their days empathizing and carrying other people’s pain. 1 I had

22 Christian Counseling Connection