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b'Isaiah 9:6-7 is part of an Old Testament promise of a Messiah: a Rescuer\\nand King for the whole world! This passage lists tons of names that are\\nultimately fulfilled in Jesus. One of those names is \\u201cWonderful Counselor.\\u201d\\nWe may not always think a lot about this name, but it has special\\nimportance for me because I meet with a counselor for my mental health. My\\ncounselor helps me process my thoughts and emotions and learn how to manage\\nfeelings of depression, anxiety, stress, and whatever challenges I am\\nfacing.\\n.\\nCounselors are experts at understanding: they study how the brain works and\\nare trained to listen and understand and help people move forward through\\nstruggles. Good counselors are compassionate, wise, and full of advice and\\nguidance.\\n.\\nJesus uses my counselor to help me, and He is available too! Jesus is the\\nperfect counselor. His eternal wisdom is beyond our understanding, and He\\ninvites us to come to Him with all our struggles. He is fully God, so He\\nknows and understands us better than anyone else because He created us!\\nJesus is also fully human, so He knows what it\\u2019s like to live in a world\\nbroken by sin. However, although Jesus was tempted and suffered, He was\\nobedient and faithful to God through it all. Hebrews 4:14-16 says that\\nJesus empathizes with our weaknesses, and He invites us to come to Him for\\nhelp any time.\\n.\\nSometimes I feel alone in my struggles, but meeting with a counselor\\nreminds me that I\\u2019m not alone and that people care for me. Most of all,\\nJesus reminds me that I am never alone. No matter the challenges we face,\\nHe loves us and will never leave us (Matthew 28:20). He died and rose again\\non our behalf, and even when nothing seems to make sense, we can rest in\\nthe truth that He has become wisdom for us (1 Corinthians 1:30), fully\\nredeeming us and uniting us to Himself.\\n.\\nMental health is a long journey with ups and downs. But I know that God\\nuses our struggles to open up unique opportunities to help and encourage\\nothers (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). He can use even the hardest times in our\\nlives for His good purposes (Romans 8:28). \\u2022 Abby Ciona\\n.\\n\\u2022 How is Jesus like a mental health counselor? How is He different?\\n.\\n\\u2022 We all go through seasons of life when we feel overwhelmed, and it\\u2019s okay\\nto need help. When you are experiencing stress, anxiety, depression, or\\nother challenges, who is a trusted Christian in your life who you feel\\ncomfortable talking to? If you need someone to talk to, you can set up an\\nappointment for a one-time complimentary phone consultation with a\\nChristian counselor through the Focus on the Family Counseling Service. In\\nthe United States, call 1-855-771-HELP (4357) weekdays 6:00 a.m. to 8:00\\np.m. (Mountain Time) to set up an appointment. In Canada, book your\\nappointment by calling 1-800-661-9800 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.\\n(Pacific Time) and ask to speak with the care associate.\\n.\\n\\u2022 In addition to getting help from friends and mental health professionals,\\nGod wants us to come to Him for help. When you are feeling stressed or\\noverwhelmed, do you feel like you can talk to Jesus? Why or why not?\\n.\\n\\u2022 God created the world good, but when humans went their own way against\\nGod, the result was death and decay and sickness\\u2014including mental illness.\\nBut God has not left us alone in our struggles. He has compassion on us,\\nand He came to live among us and, ultimately, to heal the world of all\\nbrokenness. Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, we have\\nthe sure hope that Jesus will return to restore His creation\\u2014and, as His\\nforgiven followers, we will get to live with Him forever, free from sin,'