I am a counselor in Lubbock. I enjoy it. It is always an honor to walk people through healing. And the fact that people trust me with their painful seasons is humbling.

My favorite part is seeing my clients truly begin to believe and experience freedom and the moment they begin to believe that they are worthwhile and that they bring something important to life and those around them.

So how do you begin to experience these things?

I think it is different for every person, because we are all different. We all have life experiences that have brought us to where we are. But the common denominator we all have is acceptance. Acceptance that our past life experiences have shaped us into who we are. They have shaped how we view the world, how we approach people, or do not approach people. How we view relationships and our willingness to enter in to relationships. How willing we are to confront, address and move toward painful things. How well we are able to find joy in life experiences.

I have to be honest here, and say that it is a passion of mine because it is something I have walked through, and will continue to work through. Because I too am a growing, learning , human.

The thing about counselors is, that we too are human. We too have things that we are learning about and growing in.

We don’t have it all figured out. We don’t have all the answers.

And if your counselor presents that they do . Find a different one.

Something I have learned to accept is that I was an awkward, quirky kid. And, I am a quirky adult.

Seriously, I am not prim and proper. I often say things that I wish that I could take back. If I am not aware, I say things that should probably stay in my head. And for the longest time , I would get so embarrassed about how I acted, and how people saw me that it kept me from building relationships.

Even now, when I am working through hard things, I have to be intentional not to isolate myself. I have to intentionally reach out.

But here’s the cool thing. That does not mean that I am horrible at relationships. That does not mean I am not worth connection. 

It does mean that there will be some people who do not like me. It does mean that I will not be liked by every person I meet.

But that is okay.

Seriously. The moment I realized and began to believe that I did not have to be liked by everyone around me, I experienced a ton of freedom.

So, if you look back at your award kid photos and it makes you cringe, you are not alone.

But know that even the kid you is awesome. Even the kid you is cool. Even the kid you is worth compassion and connection.

Be encouraged friends,

Rachael