There’s a world-famous restaurant in Moderna, Italy. And in that world-famous restaurant, there may be their most well-known dish. And in that well-known dish, there is just one predominant ingredient: Parmesan cheese. The key to the dish is that Parmesan cheese seems in a number of methods: a Parmesan broth, a Parmesan soufflé, a Parmesan crisp, a Parmesan foam, and many others. The chef desires the diner to style Parmesan in its essence—to know and expertise its taste, so he presents one dish with completely different cooking strategies for that single ingredient. If you come away from consuming that dish, you possibly can say, undoubtedly, “I do know Parmesan cheese.”
Homework for a counselee ought to have the identical expertise. Counselors ought to have a spotlight for the session after which curate their homework in order that the counselee encounters the reality in a number of other ways. Just like the meticulous and sensible chef, we try for the “predominant ingredient” of God’s fact to sing out to the counselee in order that they arrive again to the following session having skilled it in each facet of their homework.
Choose a Fact
In counseling, all of us too simply overwhelm the counselee with many truths. They could all be good, legitimate truths the counselee wants to listen to, however an individual can solely course of so many issues directly. Or, maybe we under-assign our homework such that we give them one passage to memorize and nothing else, in order that they received’t truly do their homework or received’t be fascinated about it all through the week. It is much better for the counselee if we choose one or two “predominant elements” for the session and ensure they know them deeply. Then, we need to use those self same truths that may sink into their hearts through our homework parts. For instance, if in case you have a counselee combating feeling ignored of their church group, you might educate them about specializing in loving others somewhat than all the time fascinated about themselves. So, the “Parmesan cheese” of your homework will probably be “think about the pursuits of others earlier than your personal.” This would be the predominant takeaway from homework that you simply’ll incorporate by way of a number of parts, and it will likely be the muse in your subsequent session.
Use A number of Codecs of Homework
With this fact in thoughts, we are going to now select the codecs to specific the reality. Good homework could have a number of parts, and all these parts ought to sing out the theme fact for the week. Bear in mind, the principle ingredient of Parmesan was carried out in a number of codecs, however Parmesan was all the time the main focus of the dish. In the identical approach, counselors can use completely different homework parts to convey the identical fact. Our instance is “think about the pursuits of others as extra necessary than your personal,” so here’s what my homework may appear like for this counselee:
- Learn Philippians 1-2 thrice this week and reply the journaling questions I’ll e-mail you.
- For every studying, write your personal prayer of confession for the methods you aren’t like Christ, asking for forgiveness but additionally asking God to remodel you to appear like His Son.
- Hearken to this sermon on Philippians 2[1] and take notes to deliver again for our dialogue. What had been 3-4 issues that stood out to you from the educating?
- This week, choose two folks to textual content and ask them how one can pray for them virtually. Then, put aside time to hope for them all through the week. Of these two folks, invite one to espresso (or each if in case you have the capability!) to listen to about their lives and ask them intentional questions.
With this homework, I’ve taken the reality of contemplating the pursuits of others as extra necessary than self and woven it into a number of codecs. When the counselee comes again to session, I need this fact to have been tasted by them in several methods in order that they received’t neglect it they usually perceive it. My prayer for this counselee is that the Lord would bless His Phrase of their hearts and develop and alter them. Bear in mind, our aim is to echo Psalm 34:8, “Oh, style and see that the Lord is sweet!” Could our counselees come again having tasted the reality of God’s Phrase in every ingredient of their homework.
Homework doesn’t must be tough for us as counselors, however we have to be cautious to not overcomplicate or under-simplify it. As a substitute, we tailor our homework to the counselee and craft a homework task that sings out the fantastic thing about God’s Phrase in a particular fact.
Questions for Reflection
- In certainly one of your present instances, what’s a “predominant ingredient” you need your counselee to be taught?
- How are you going to take that predominant ingredient and weave it into a number of parts of counseling homework?
[1] Greg Gilbert, “How the Gospel Impacts Neighborhood.” ACBC, Fact in Love, October 2016, https://crm.biblicalcounseling.com/product/gospel-impacts-community-life-together-2016-greg-gilbert/.
