When a vulnerable child experiences physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse the hurt and the scars go deep. In this article, experienced counselor David Powlison directly addresses child abuse victims by acknowledging their suffering, giving them concrete ways to express their painful experience to God, and encouraging the healing process through small steps of faith. Listen in as Dr. Powlison brings God’s comfort and hope to those who have been abused.

When a vulnerable child experiences physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse the hurt and the scars go deep. In this article, experienced counselor David Powlison directly addresses child abuse victims by acknowledging their suffering, giving them concrete ways to express their painful experience to God, and encouraging the healing process through small steps of faith. Listen in as Dr. Powlison brings God’s comfort and hope to those who have been abused.

 
The Journal of Biblical Counseling • Winter 2004 68
All children are special, but when our
oldest son, David, was born twenty-eight years
ago, he was special in another way: he was
autistic and mentally handicapped.
Sometimes we get the impression that we
can plan our families: when to conceive, when
to give birth, and even what the child's gender
will be. Soon, possibly, we will be able to select
physical and personality traits for our child.
However, every once in a while, a special child

 
The Journal of Biblical Counseling • Summer 2005 21
Behold, children are a heritage from the
LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward.
(Ps. 127:3)
What is your heart’s immediate response when
you read the verse above? Do you agree that
children really are a gift from the Lord, a reward?
To ask the question more pointedly, would you
say that your children are a gift or a reward from
the Lord for you personally…or do you feel as if
this is just a nice sentiment meant for someone
else?

 
The Journal of Biblical Counseling • Summer 2005 28
Teenagers’ lives are full of complexity.
Strong forces compete for their attention. They
often feel insecure. They worry about their
appearance. They spend a lot of time fixing their
hair and clothes. They change their clothes
three or four times before going out. They
practice in front of the mirror: “Is this my good
smile?” “Is this my good side?” “Will people like
me?” “Will I have lots of friends?”
Teens feel vulnerable towards adults in

 
The Journal of Biblical Counseling • Summer 2005 38
Sometimes the ministry home can stoke
the fires of rebellion in a child’s heart. Even
though you may saturate your family with all the
resources you have in Christ, you may see your
child make wrong choices and take the path of
rebellion. This is the hardest thing for parents to
go through! It is agonizing to see a child for
whom you’ve prayed, in whom you’ve delighted,
and to whom you’ve given your life, turn away

 
The Journal of Biblical Counseling • Summer 2005 46
Counseling angry and indifferent young
people typically begins with presenting issues.
But counseling does not stop there. The youth
counselor who tries to identify the teen’s
problem for him and then offers his own
solutions, even his understanding of biblical
solutions, does not have to wait very long—
maybe five or ten minutes—to see the
counseling session fail. The teen tunes out the
counselor with polite tolerance, impatient for

 
The Journal of Biblical Counseling • Summer 2005 53
An essential part of our growth and
change as a child of God is coming to
understand how God uses our daily struggles to
bring about change in our hearts and our lives.
In the midst of our struggles, we don’t naturally
connect the ways we think, feel, and act with
our ultimate destination of life in heaven with
Christ. It takes the work of the Holy Spirit to
help us bridge the gap and connect our struggles
to our future in eternity.

 
The Journal of Biblical Counseling • Summer 2005 7
Teenagers need grand and glorious things
in their lives. They are idealists and need grand
and ennobling things for which to live. But
parents too often focus on the dos and don’ts of
daily living together and fail to point teens to
the truly great things in life. If we are to be
successful in influencing our teens in a godly
manner, we must keep things (even the
struggles) in their place and focus on the big

 
The Journal of Biblical Counseling • Summer 2005 13
This article is excerpted from an interview with
Peter Hastie of the Australian Presbyterian, June
2000. Adapted and used with permission from the
National Journal Committee of the Presbyterian
Church of Australia.
What goals do most parents have for their
teenagers?
Many parents have a simple goal for
getting through their child’s teenage years:
survival. But this goal focuses simply on getting