Counseling

My faith is the framework for my counseling. Whether or not I communicate it outwardly to a client, my faith shapes my view of the counseling process. For as long as I can remember, I have had a heart for those that are broken and hurting. Perhaps it has been because of my own brokenness and my own journey to restoration and healing. God has used deep hurts, struggles and places of despair in my own heart to drive me to a deeper place of intimacy with Him. He did not necessarily change my circumstances; He changed me through them. God has continued to lead me on a journey of growth and change that has allowed me to walk in His amazing freedom. He desires to meet us in the deepest places of our heart and invites us into the process of transformation.

Isaiah 61. “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me
 to proclaim good news to the poor. 
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, 
to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, 
to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, 
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair. 
They will be called oaks of righteousness, 
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; 
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.” (Isaiah 61: 1-4, New International Version)

These verses have shaped my life and ministry. As I have led women and small groups, I have found my passion and purpose in these verses. God is the restorer and healer of broken lives. It is the thread of redemption from Genesis to Revelation. It is His heart for His people and so it should be mine. Isaiah 61 has been my heartbeat and the filter for all that I do.

Freedom and restoration is God’s heart for his people. My heart’s deepest desire is to see lives transformed as they experience the redeeming love of Christ and the restoration He longs to bring. God desires to take the ashes of our lives and bring something beautiful from them, all for His Glory. Our lives become a testimony that others might see and put their faith and hope in Christ. God requires authentic faith, not perfect people. He made us to need one another, to help and encourage one another and to fight for one another along our journeys.

Through the counseling process, I have the privilege to help others on their journey to examine the difficult, weak and often broken places in their hearts where God wants them to experience Him, leading them to a place of freedom, healing, as well as personal and relational restoration.

I am currently seeing clients at Fellowship Counseling and Care Center in Rogers, AR. To schedule an appointment, contact Anne at anresler@fellowshipnwa.org.