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INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
All Christians are called by God to “clothe [ourselves] with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” and to “bear with each other” in times of heartache, strain, and fear (Colossians 3:12–13). But a few of us sense God’s calling and gifting—and the nudge of the Spirit—to get more deeply involved in the lives of hurting people. Those who want to be agents of God’s healing, forgiving, restoring power need training to sharpen their skills. If you want to be God’s hands, feet, and voice to bring grace, truth, and hope to people who feel only guilt, confusion, and doubt, this training is for you. You are about to embark on one of the greatest adventures in life: a partnership with God in touching the lives of men and women, young and old, who desperately need to experience God’s kindness, wisdom, and strength. Even if you are already known for your compassion and care, this training will provide additional insights, skills, and resources to help you become even more effective. We all know people who are deeply hurt. It’s hard being married to someone who doesn’t love you . . . to lose a parent or child . . . to battle cancer . . . to have kids who think you are the worst parent in the world . . . to face bills when you don’t have enough money to survive . . . to grow up without a dad . . . to try to forget a past abortion . . . to be abused by someone you loved and trusted. And many of us have experienced these same wounds ourselves. We now simply want to share with others the hope and healing we found in Christ. People around us try to hide their hurts, but if we look closely, we’ll notice the evidences of their pain, anger, and fear. If we take time to look “behind the eyes” of people, we’ll find deep pain and brokenness. What do they do with their pain? Some try to press on and hope that if they keep their eyes closed long enough, the pain will go away. Some cry and beg for relief, but still feel hopeless; some try to intimidate others to gain power over them; some try to please everyone to earn their love; some try to fill the hole in their hearts with success; and some try to numb the pain with drugs, alcohol, gambling, food,
