I've always hoped for my life to be shaped into 3 callings: first being a music teacher, then being a stay-at-home-mom and finally being a marriage and family therapist.
The first one happened already, the second one is happening now. Great, right? The problem has been that I haven't been able to see how to get to the third one from here.
Because my philosophy of how marriages and families work is basically 100% shaped by my faith, I have always really wanted to go to a Christian university or seminary to earn my degree. That's the part that presents a problem because the best schools for that (including my dream school, Fuller) are located in Southern California and we don't want to disrupt our family by moving there. So this dream of mine has been on hold and I've wondered whether I'll ever achieve it.
A few weeks ago Jeff and I went to a (wonderful!) meeting for Christians for Biblical Equality that was held at Fuller Seminary's Southwest campus. We had a great time listening to a fabulous speaker, but for me the most life-changing moment of the evening happened after she was done.
Fuller Southwest's admissions counselor overheard me and told me that they are hoping to have their MFT program at this campus in 2 years! Can you believe it? Please jump up and down with me!
The weird thing is that now that several logistical obstacles look like they will be cleared out of the way, I've discovered an internal obstacle that I didn't expect. It's like this invisible line in my head that delineates my capacity for success.
Apparently becoming a marriage and family therapist is above that line.
It's a strange obstacle to overcome but I've been working on visualization. I'm not a big believer in supernatural powers associated with visualization so I've never given it much thought. Now, however, I can see that I have to know where I'm going. God is calling me to this and I've known it for years, so I need to "own" that calling.
So I picture myself in classes, soaking up lectures. I picture a degree on my wall. I picture myself walking with a couple through a crisis in their marriage. I pray through all of it and hear God reassuring me that I am the Beloved and this is my calling.
And the picture is getting clearer. Again, jump up and down with me!
5 comments:
Yes, yes, YES! Kat was getting me to do a lot of visualisation in our last session, too, for exactly the same reasons.
I'm remembering a scene from some cheesy movie I saw in the '80s, probably on the Disney Channel or something. An old man is teaching a young girl how to string a bow, but she's not strong enough to bend it far enough to meet the string. He tells her she has to visualise the bow and the string coming together. She closes her eyes and imagines it happening, opens her eyes and realises that she's done it.
Not that visualisation, er, gives you like super-strength or anything...
The funny thing is that I've changed my visualisations from what Kat gave me initially. She had me picture winning these awards, getting published, all the rewards for writing. But I've found it's been better -- and weirdly more exciting -- to visualise just WRITING, the process itself. Don't know if that might help you as well, visualising saving the money, changing the schedule, getting that momentum pointing towards that point two years from now.
But it's just brilliant, isn't it? That we actually get to do what we WANT?
Alyssa, I am so excited for you! And, yes, I really did jump up and and down for you! You're going to be a great marriage and family therapist!
Love,
Kat
That's awesome news :) When can I come over and see you?
Fuller's MS in MFT requires 20 hr of Bible & theology. Can you work on some of that now?
Brad, that's a great idea! I will look into it!
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