A Christmas Pause for Helping Hearts

Camille McDaniel (00:03.466)
Welcome back to Christ in Private Practice. Today’s episode is going to be a little bit different. So if you’re listening this week, chances are life is very full, not just busy, but I mean, like full, full of expectations and conversations and plans and responsibilities. And for many counselors, a lot of emotional carrying. So instead of an episode where we are

learning about new techniques or skills or business practices. I wanted to offer something more like what you might hear during a Christmas special on the radio or television. Kind of a pause, just a moment to breathe, a reminder of what exactly matters. Christmas has a way of coming with a lot of manmade expectations and expectations

are revolving around how joyful you should feel and how connected you should be and how meaningful everything should look. And for Christian counselors especially, it can sometimes feel like you’re absorbing everyone else’s emotions while trying to hold yourself together. But here’s the truth. I want to gently remind you of today that you don’t have to allow the man-made version

of this season to make you feel any less, any less faithful, any less joyful, less grateful or less present because the true meaning of Christmas does not lie in how well you planned for company this week and how wonderful your decorations are on the outside of the home you live in or on the inside.

how great the gifts were this year and all of that, you know, is wonderful and it’s nice. Don’t get me wrong. But the true meaning of Christmas has never depended on performance, perfection, or the emotional intensity that you can create around a certain thing. And so at the heart of this season is not, it’s not a feeling, it’s a person.

Camille McDaniel (02:26.486)
And I know that you know that. Christ entered the world not when things were all polished and calm, but right in the middle of a time where human beings needed it the most. And that matters. It means that God is not absent from complexity. He is present within it. He’s not

absent when there’s noise and chaos and all of that, but he’s powerful and he never fades. And that’s a powerful truth for us as counselors to hold on to. So as you reflect this week, I invite you to focus not on what this season is supposed to look like from what the commercials say, but on the gifts

that you’ve already been given by the one who entered the world to save us from eternal separation from him. You’ve been gifted with a calling, with discernment, with compassion, and with presence. You literally giving your presence to your clients, not physical actual gifts, but I mean your time and your knowledge.

and you’re being there in the moment. And for some of you, this season is also an opportunity to share that gift of being present, that gift of wisdom and knowledge and caring and all of that with others, especially with those who are lonely during this time of the year and who feel unseen.

and those who may not even have a place to land at this time of the year. Sometimes the most meaningful gift that we offer is simply being steady and being there and being kind. I want to take this moment to thank you for your kindness towards me. Thank you for listening to Christ in Private Practice.

Camille McDaniel (04:48.91)
for sharing the episodes with your colleagues, with your friends. Thank you for joining the Christ in Private Practice Facebook group and helping it to be a thoughtful, respectful, and grounded community. And whether you listen on YouTube or Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or some other platform,

I am very grateful that you are here because this space has grown and has reached many parts of the globe because of you. We are in not just the United States, not just Canada, but we are actually touching other parts of the world. It’s pretty cool. If you find yourself

during this season with just a little bit of time over the holidays. You might even decide that you wanna go ahead and revisit an episode that resonated with you or check out an episode that you missed. There are a lot of them. We’re in our 60s now as far as episodes go. And so you may decide to go back and catch some early episodes or like I said, revisit ones that

you really enjoy. I mean, there’s no pressure to catch up or anything. It’s just an invitation to reflect if the time feels right. And so as we move into the new year, we’ll continue to have honest and thoughtful conversations about what it means to practice faithfully and ethically and sustainably as Christian counselors. But this week,

I just hope that you allow yourself to slow down and to remember why this season matters and to receive the grace of Christ’s presence and to rest in the knowledge that God is at work even in the quiet moments, the slow moments.

Camille McDaniel (07:06.338)
Thank you for spending part of your Christmas season with me. And may you be reminded that not only the gifts that you’ve received, but also that you be reminded of the gifts that you carry within you into the world. And from my heart to yours, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and continued peace as we close out this year.

I’ll see you in the new year with another episode the first Tuesday of January.

And until we meet again, God bless.