ABCS Weekly Devotional: On the Receiving End

Devotion written by Roger Daniels, Vice President of New Life Counseling

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen. – 1 Peter 4:10-11

As Vice President of New Life Counseling and Leader Care, I count it an honor to lead a team of experienced, well-trained, and spiritually conscious counselors. Each day throughout Arizona, they can be found ministering to individuals, couples and families who are experiencing some of the most difficult situations imaginable. While our counselors provide empathy and support through a Christ-centered and Biblically-based approach, we cannot overlook the role of our reception staff in this important ministry. While some of our counselors work in remote locations utilizing a single room in a local church, our offices in Tucson, Phoenix and Yuma have a dedicated reception staff who greet clients, communicate with counselors, make reminder calls for appointments and credit payments. Their faces are the first ones seen by clients, who are oftentimes overcoming fear and apprehension, as they arrive for their appointment. By the same token, the reception staff often develop an affection for clients who return on a regular basis to receive the counsel needed for their circumstance.

Just last week, a former counseling client stopped by the Tucson office. Her face was familiar, and with a confused look our receptionist asked whether she was present for an appointment, as no openings were evident on the schedule for that time of day. The former client began to tear up as she said, “No, I just want to drop off a donation.” She continued saying, “Our counselor worked with us off and on for several weeks, and was so helpful to my husband and I. But, now he is in hospice care, and won’t be with us much longer.” Touched by her words, our receptionist expressed condolences, and offered to pray with her. As she prayed, she felt tears in her own eyes. They parted with a hug, and a gracious acceptance of a check in the amount of $600.

I’m grateful, not only for the ministry of our talented team of counselors, but for the members of the reception staff who are often the first to offer Hope and Care to these hurting people.