7 Steps to Advancing Personal Integration- Rev. Ray DukSung Seo(서덕성 목사)
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- 8월 7일
- 3분 분량
7 Steps to Advancing Personal Integration
The past two years, which were meaningful and valuable, were like going through 7 steps of personal integration. And I have come to fully embrace these 7 steps as my flesh and bones. And I would like to trace back briefly those 7 steps of personal integration.
The first step was human growth and development. In this step, I witnessed the importance of human experience and growth, with regards to the emotional aspect. Learning about different forms of human experience and how they contribute to development gave me a bigger picture of who I am. In addition, while learning about human growth and emotions, I gained enhanced insights into further connecting myself to deeper research in this area.
The second step of personal integration heavily involved the crisis counseling and faith development. Crisis counseling is closely related to the development of one’s faith. Without a doubt, human life is a succession of various crises and hardships; this is a spiritual journey with anxiety, pain, and loss, because they are always together. Furthermore, humans begin to gain more faith during this moment of crisis, and one’s faith develops as a result.
The third step of personal integration took place while learning diagnosing addiction with regards to spirituality allowed me to realize many things. As an ordained minister, I understand the dynamic changes, either positive or negative, that are happening before me in the 21stcentury. In order to mitigate the pain and suffering within our society, I have to stand firm on my ground to properly diagnose and treat the ones in need of help spiritually. Through the training of pastoral diagnosis, I have come to face a lot of issues of addiction and how psychological problems can be treated from theological and spiritual aspects.
The fourth step of integration was learning about intimacy and sexuality. In this process, I had to ponder on huge waves of questions about sexuality and reconceptualization of intimacy in our society. As a caregiver and a pastoral minister, I had a very meaningful time thinking about how to approach people either within or out of church, while being aware of the complexity of modern society’s sexuality issues.
The fifth step of personal integration was brief pastoral care and counseling. Even during this short-term pastoral care and counseling course, I felt as if I have found answers to various problems within my church community and many other ways to resolve these issues. Through this experience, I think I found a really useful tool in assisting my church community and many others who are seeking spiritual help.
The sixth step, I now understand church congregation as a system. I have found interest in an organizational theory; that is how I perceived churches and homes. With this training, my perception of churches and homes as unified systems have been solidified.
During the seventh step in personal integration, I learned that although people have individual differences, there is always a common ground on what they experience and mature emotionally. This helped to accept the idea that I can experience empathy and connect with people of different cultures, languages, and personal experiences.
What is pastoral care and Counseling? Theologian James Cone, in his book God of the oppressed, questions “Who is Jesus for us today?” James’s answer is that Jesus is God of the oppressed. To be more specific, God comforts those who weep, suffer, and have bodily weaknesses. I have a personal opinion and answer to “What is pastoral care and counseling?” Pastoral care and counseling is all about reaching out to people who are in pain, oppressed, and weak with deepest compassion and spiritual empathy. However, the healing and renewal starts with me, my inner healing and growth.
Finally, I would like to say thank you to Dr. Penny, Dr. Miriam, and Dr. Joshua who have supported me tremendously. I am eternally grateful for your guidance and help.
In Him
Thank You
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