Clients Must Help Themselves, God Provides the Power to Change

I want to share the basic process used by Atlas to provide help to people who are struggling with difficulties in their lives. They are referred or simply come because they need help getting out of their current dilemma. Their crisis problem is always critical in nature, but is only a small part to the interrelated scope of the problems of life that they face. Most of the difficulties have been building for years and are now culminating in this particular crisis.

Such problems are not easily identified and when they are, not easily solved. What is the process needed to solve these life gripping problems? At Atlas we tell new clients that we can do nothing to solve their problems for them. Only they have the power to accomplish a changed and better life. We also share that such change although difficult, is always possible and that such change is much easier if they allow God to be a part of and assist in their journey.

We then ask them to share their story with us as a means to building a relationship and to help them with a self-assessment of their broader current situation. Following that relationship building effort, we begin to develop a plan to reduce the primary crisis that they are struggling with. Hopefully this process leads to developing a growing relationship of trust over time and result in decisions that contribute to a changed and bettered life.

This process used is similar but requires unique application with every client because each client is a unique creation of God, created in His image, and therefore requires a unique response from the Atlas staff. Coupling genetic makeup and environmental history truly means there are no two people in the world, now or in the past, who are the same. We are all unique.

I am currently working with three clients. One is homeless, one faces eviction, and one has aging health problems and wants to stay in her home. All three face a primary problem dealing with housing. Each housing problem is unique and each set of combined problems different as well. The attitude of each client toward their difficulties and willingness to search for answers determines the time required to make life changes and if they will succeed or fail in their attempts. We know that life change is a long, slow process that takes hard work. As previously shared, every successful step along the way, even to eventual failure, is a positive step toward future success.

For us, the attempts to help provide a roller coaster of emotion facing disappointment as clients struggle to change an revert to old ways or joy at each small success along their journey. We see God in this process and thank Him as He is recognized by clients in the process.