Helping others find their way

The phone call came late one Saturday night. I was awoken by the ring and answered groggily. The voice on the other end asked if this was Pastor Kimberlie. I answered, "Yes," and what followed was a barrage of dialogue from a woman who made little sense.

I was unsure if she was inebriated or had some kind of mental disorder. One thing was certain, she was confused and hurting. I spoke with her at great length, trying to calm her and discovered she was the mother of a teen who used to be in my youth group back when I was a youth pastor. After we hung up, she called back several times, still clearly confused. I prayed with her. I learned that night that she had some mental problems that went beyond my training as a minister. She needed a referral to a psychologist.

As Christians and leaders, we need to know how to help people. Jesus absolutely is the answer for all of us, but there are times when we need to refer someone to a physician for a physical problem, a therapist for emotional or mental issues, an attorney for legal advice (and this is necessary more often than one might think), even a psychiatrist, when there is a need for medication.

It is beneficial for us to know when and where to refer those who are hurting. If one is not in ministry, even the referral to a pastor is often the right decision when you cannot answer specific spiritual questions. My own desire to help people at a deeper level has caused me to go get further education to become a family therapist in addition to the training I have had as a pastor, because pastors themselves are limited in issues of mental health.

Where do we turn when we find ourselves in the position of ministering to someone who needs more than we are trained or experienced to give? Networking; by making the decision to take the time to get to know professionals in the community who can help people in need.

So who do you know? A good pastor? Therapist? Physician? A wise woman of God equipped with the life experience to help a young mom? Are you someone others can be referred to? You do not have to have a license or degree to be available to listen and pray. Perhaps your life cycle stage alone makes you an expert. Some of the best advice I have received in life is from other women who have walked what I was walking through and were ready to listen to a hurting woman.