ACC Accord Summer 2021 Issue 111

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The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23 – A practical guide to caring by Sue Monckton-Rickett Psalm 23 is probably the best known Psalm, whether the actual words or sung as a hymn (multiple versions). It is the one that many people, whether Christians or not, turn to in times of need and have read or sung at funerals and so is likely to have been heard thousands of times in the last year or so. However, it is only recently when I was preparing a reflection for our church newsletter that I realised what a practical guide it is to caring – both our own self-care and caring for others and perhaps especially in times of loss and crisis. The psalm starts with the words “The Lord is my shepherd” – present tense, there is an ongoing relationship, God is actively shepherding the psalmist, David. David himself was a shepherd and so the analogy was very real and very relevant. He knew how much sheep relied on the shepherd for comfort and security and how the shepherd cared for, sustained and watched over the sheep. To David these are not just beautiful words but a real and deep way of describing a relationship with God and the care that he (and all of us) needs both from God and others. The next few words describe what it means to have a caring shepherd “I shall not want” or “I lack nothing”. A good shepherd by their very nature will supply all the sheep’s needs. And what are those needs? • Rest and Food - “He makes me to lie down in green pastures.” A shepherd knows when his sheep need rest, even if as the words “He makes me”, imply that sheep may not. Apparently, until sheep have eaten sufficiently, they will mill around and nibble on bits of grass. But when their stomachs are full they will find a quiet place and lie down. This is such a practical reminder, when thinking about self-care and caring for others. How often do we find that we / they are not eating properly, not getting enough or good sleep or rest. The psalm reminds us how important it is to ensure / find ways to help to make sure that basic physical needs are met. • Drink, calm and peace - “He leads me beside the still waters.” Starting again with the basic physical need of drinking enough is vital, the impact of dehydration can be severe before we even realise that we have not drank enough. The word used for “lead” means 26 accord Summer 2021 www.acc-uk.org • www.pastoralcareuk.org
feature “to lead gently.” There is a sense of calm and slowing down. Living quite near to the coast and by a river many clients talk to me about how watching the waves, the tide going in and out, the flowing river, etc. is in itself incredibly calming. Interestingly the theme of Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 was “Nature” and a report was commissioned, which concluded that nature is vital in keeping us emotionally, psychologically and physically healthy. The report can be found at https://www. mentalhealth.org.uk/sites/default/ files/MHAW21_NATURE%20 REPORT_ENG_web.pdf. The reports talks of the importance of not just being in nature but being connected with it, taking time to observe it, allowing our senses to engage with it, slowing down in nature, as the Psalmist describes –“making me lie down” and “gently leading me”. The positive impact of green spaces on well-being has been recognised for some time, but increasingly studies are showing that the impact of “blue spaces” can be as much if not more beneficial. So in our self-care and care for others, how do we consider experiencing “the green pastures” and “the still waters”? • Spiritual refreshment – “He restores my soul.” Having received the physical restoration, David now looks at the relationship with the shepherd at a deeper level – the provision of spiritual nourishment, rest and restoration. We and our clients or the people we pastorally care for are often looking for souls to be restored, to find meaning, purpose and hope in life and much of what we do and indeed the way that we care and relate to them in and of itself enables this to happen. • Safety – “He leads me in the paths of righteousness.” One of the principal tasks of a shepherd, especially in the land and times of the Bible, where there were dangerous paths to be avoided, was to guide. The sheep needed someone to help them navigate the paths and determine which way to go. Although we as counsellors and pastoral carers would not be this directive, many people that we work with value having someone to help them evaluate different paths, to think through what are the dangers and benefits of different courses and to see ways through times of crisis. • Journeying with - “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Here David starts to use the word “You”, not “He” as though in dark times it is not enough to talk about what the Shepherd can do, but to talk to the Shepherd. God is not before him, like a Shepherd, but walking beside him. The rod and staff of a shepherd were used for protection, guidance and safety, whether to stop an attacking beast, to tap on rocks to assure the sheep of his presence or to gently nudge the sheep onto the safe path. We journey with the people we work with sometimes through the darkest times of fear and loss. Being a regular, consistent and reassuring presence is probably one of the most powerful things we provide as counsellors and pastoral carers to help people walk in and through the valleys. Being valued - “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.” It was customary in the Bible times to anoint the heads of visitors and serve them with a glass of choice wine, which was carefully filled until it runs over. These actions showed that they were valued and special guests. We often work with people to restore their sense of self- worth and self-esteem – to make them feel valued again and to learn to value themselves. This may be done “in the presence of enemies” – whether that is others who have undermined and abused them or the internal voices that tell them that “they are a failure, worthless, etc." The way that we do this is not likely to involve oil and wine, but the principle and the importance of doing so is the same. Security and Safety - “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” The phrase “follow me” literally means “pursue me.” As a guest at God’s table, David is pursued by God’s goodness, instead of being pursued by his enemies. God not only walks before him and leads him to a place of rest and refreshment, but His goodness, and love follows him and will never stop and provides security. We cannot provide the people with life-long security, but providing a sense of safety is something that we try to do from the being of any therapeutic / pastoral relationship. Charles Spurgeon said “before one can truly say, 'The Lord is my shepherd,' they must first acknowledge and feel in themselves that they have the nature of a sheep. We have to admit that we need someone to guide, protect and take care of us.” Coming into counselling, asking for pastoral support can be scary and people may indeed feel quite “sheepish”. The psalm ends with this concept of safety and security, but in our work providing a safe place is both the starting point and an on-going necessity. We may never have thought of Psalm 23 as a model for counselling and pastoral care, but perhaps it is a good checklist for our own selfcare and how we care for others. www.acc-uk.org • www.pastoralcareuk.org accord Summer 2021 27
Page 1 and 2: Issue no. 111 Summer 2021 e-accord
Page 3 and 4: editorial Editorial by Sue Monckton
Page 5 and 6: feature Weinstein. Millions of indi
Page 7 and 8: feature or purpose. They may questi
Page 9 and 10: feature not mean a return to ‘nor
Page 11 and 12: The beginnings of this journey tie
Page 13 and 14: feature This may look a bit confusi
Page 15 and 16: feature Spirituality and support in
Page 17 and 18: feature users benefits everyone.
Page 19 and 20: News & Diary New Head of Membership
Page 21 and 22: pastoral care Current Support Numbe
Page 23 and 24: Counselling CHANGES TO MEMBERSHIP R
Page 25: feature government to implement a f
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Page 39 and 40: feature Meeting ACCEnT Forum Member
Page 41 and 42: feature Pregnancy loss by Amanda Pa
Page 43 and 44: feature Supporting a nation in mour
Page 45 and 46: In Touch Table Talk for Wellbeing -
Page 47 and 48: In Touch Do you have a female frien

ACC Accord Summer 2021 Issue 111

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