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christian counseling today
Vol. 20 no. 4
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Diane Langberg , PH.D.
looking inward
I
have often found that traveling
and teaching cross-culturally has
opened my eyes and led to reflect-
ing on things I have settled into
in an unexamined way. Many of my
experiences have seemed like parables
written by the hand of God in order
to teach me more about His ways and
thoughts. A recent trip to the Middle
East was no exception.
Our younger son worked in Abu
Dhabi for two years or so for a member
of the royal household. They met in
Washington and our son had served as
a consultant to this man. A friendship
developed and an invitation to continue
working together was the result. After
he had been there a while, we were
invited to visit the country as guests
of His Highness to see our son and be
introduced to the country and culture.
Plans were made, but at the last minute
we were asked to leave a few days earlier
than expected as the prince’s schedule
changed and he wanted to be in the
country to meet us when we arrived.
When the call came through—knowing
it would upset schedules and impact
many people—our immediate response
was to say, “Of course.” The prince had
called; we would come. No thought
required. It would impact others, but
the response was still certain and sure.
Therein lies the first lesson. How
often has my Lord, the King of heaven
and earth, called to me and I have
equivocated, delayed or, even at times,
refused? The question had to be asked,
“Would I would do for an earthly prince
what I would not do for my King?”
We went—fancy airline, plush seats,
great food—and were met at the airport
by our son and whisked away to the
palace to meet the prince. As a female
walking into a room full of Arab men,
I went over protocol very carefully with
our son—wait to be greeted, do not
speak first, the prince will stay seated,
do not offer my hand, and do not sit
until directed. To my son’s knowledge,
no other female had ever been in that
room… and he spent almost every
evening there, so he knew.
We arrived and were escorted in.
The room was occupied by about 15
Arab men in full regalia. My husband
and I walked in and, no sooner had we
done so, the prince stood, walked over
to us quickly and extended his hand to
me warmly. He greeted me by name,
introduced himself by his first name,
and showed me to the seat at his right
hand. All 15 men followed his example.
They did what their prince did. Need-
less to say, we were greatly honored and
graciously welcomed.
What a small taste, but a true one,
of the Lord of heaven and earth seated
on the throne—who will, and does even
now, welcome us into the throne room
with grace and glory. The Arab prince
did it because he loves my son and is
a gracious man. Rather than using his
power to keep me in my place (some-
thing he had every right to do), he broke
through his titles and fortifications and
entered my space. He crossed over a
stunning number of boundaries: reli-
gion, gender, economics, position, and
ethnicity.
The Lord of all heaven and earth
does the same at great cost to Himself—
His own life—and so by His blood I
enter and stand received with all grace.
Common enough doctrine; grace has
become too common, perhaps, and
we are so familiar with it that we are
no longer awed. I was stunned by the
earthly prince who crossed over posi-
tion, tradition, gender, culture, religion
and training to greet me with his
hand. That experience has taught me,
reminded me, of the awe due to my true
Lord who, at a cost beyond measure,
welcomes me, crossing over the barriers
of highest position and glory, as well as
those of sin and death, to welcome me
at the right hand of the Father.
This experience has also reminded
me of the grace with which we are to
do our work—humbly crossing over
human barriers, prejudices, fears, and
judgments—to enter into the lives of
those we counsel, graciously welcoming
them into our space and time with
respect and kindness entering into
theirs. How easy it is to be governed by
our culture, bias, feelings, a particular
diagnosis or preferences. Such barriers
between humans are to fall down and
we are called, as servants of the Most
High King, to enter into foreign terri-
tory, even hostile places, full of grace
and truth.
✠
Diane Langberg,
Ph.D.,
chairs AACC’s
Executive Board and is
a licensed psychologist
with Diane Langberg &
Associates in Jenkintown,
Pennsylvania. She is also the author of
Counseling Survivors of Sexual Abuse
and
On
the Threshold of Hope.
When the Prince of Peace Calls
I was stunned by the earthly prince who crossed over
position, tradition, gender, culture, religion and training to
greet me with his hand. That experience has taught me,
reminded me, of the awe due to my true Lord who, at a
cost beyond measure, welcomes me….
