Taking the Call

As a therapist, I am often “called” to answer my clients in many different ways. I do call them on the phone. I do take their calls for help. There are many ways I am summoned to assist my clients. When I first received the call to become a counselor, I was naive to all the ways I would be called to help. Of course, I knew from my training that there would be patients who might want to end their lives, etc. However, I had no experience with how to help them until I began my private practice after my degree and licensing.

One time I was skiing and my cell phone rang. I thought it was my son who had skied on down ahead of me so I answered quickly. It was a patient of mine. This person was threatening suicide and just “wanted to call and let me know.” OMG, this was not even a call for help. This was a definite “here is my plan” call. How did I handle that from 9,000 feet up? I listened to the Power of the Holy Spirit and told the person to wait until I skied to the bottom of the mountain and I would call them back to hear more!

I can tell you that I would not have taken that call if I had looked at the caller ID. That client had been sad but never suicidal. Therefore, I would have thought that I was enjoying myself and I could return the call when I was free and done with my skiing. I only took the call because I thought it was my son. However, God knew I needed to “take the call.” He knew that I was the one who could talk this person down off their ledge of despair. That is exactly what happened. I went to my condo and called back, listened and was able to provide the words that changed everything. That wasn’t ME as a human doing that. That was the Practice of taking the Call of God. When God gives you a call on your life, you will have all you need to keep taking the call. It wasn’t my professional training or experience that saved that person’ s life. It was God having a better plan for that life.

You could be thinking of all the suicides that do not get stopped. I think of that a lot. I am sad about those people who had no one to call or did not take time to call. I have to let God make that call about where they are now. Since my God is all loving, I am assuming they are exactly where they need to be and I do not need to know where that is—all I need to know is that I keep taking calls. I still keep my boundaries when I am on vacation, etc. but I do let my clients know that they can always call or text me if they are under influence of darkness. Just like I told my children when they were teens not to be afraid to call if they were in trouble any time of the night or day. I would come if they called.

Our Father is like that. He is always on call for us. A good practice is to call on Him for help, for love, for joy, for needs, for thanking Him, for anything that has to do with anything. Just ask and call in your request. If you ask without a doubt, it will be given!!!! (Matthew 7:7)

Blessings, Susan Frink Anderson susanfrinkanderson@gmail.com www.holygramspirit.com new book: http://www.holygramspirit.com/books