A question came up recently about strength and weakness. If someone is strong enough to counsel others, can they also have moments of weakness where they need help?
I'll give an example.
Lets say I spent time talking to a woman who felt as if she had no reason to go on. Our only link was through the computer, but I gave her my full attention for several hours, four nights in a row. She lost her job and didn't have family in the area, leaving her lost and alone. Facing life without the security she once had seemed impossible.
We talked, or rather, I talked, while she listened. I gave examples from my struggles to show her she wasn't alone. With gentle persuasion, I turned her thinking around.
The next night we talked, I had to force myself to find positive words. Then it occurred to me: what a valuable lesson it would be if I showed her how hard I had to fight. I wasn't any different than anyone else: my moods dropped and I needed encouragement, too.
She listened when I said I was having a bad day. Instead of leaving, she began tossing my words back at me. She listened when I had to vent. And she boosted my spirits until I pulled myself back from the bottom.
Back to that original question then.
If someone is strong enough to counsel others, can they also have moments of weakness where they need help?
Without a doubt. Strength doesn't show up and stay forever, just as weakness doesn't remain forever.
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