Counseling in Everyday Life - Side by Side by Edward T. Welch

Side by Side by Ed Welch is a short read that will pay dividends in every meaningful relationship you have!

If you're anything like me, then helping a friend with their problems seems to you like a task best done by professionals with master's degrees, comfortable couches, and many boxes of tissues. The reality is that the responsibility to be a good listener and speak encouraging truth, to help without harming, is incredibly intimidating in today's world.

Ed Welch's short book, Side By Side, is a great first read for anyone with the desire to walk beside friends who are going through tough times. He reminds us that the best qualification for helping needy people is to first recognize that we ourselves are needy, first of God's grace and then secondarily needy of the support of others. It is out of that neediness and dependence on God that we become able to walk with others in wisdom and love.

What I loved about this book is the way that Welch strips peer-to-peer counseling of all of what makes it scary and makes it sound simple and achievable. I may not be able to psychologically analyze why a person is experiencing any given emotion, but I can move toward my friends when they are in need, get to know them even better, and pray for them.

Finally, as he always does, Welch continually emphasizes humility and patience as we deal with complex people that have complex problems. He never fails to remind the reader that the reason God gives his gifts is so that the body might build itself up in love, and that is something that I admire greatly about him! I would highly recommend this book for anyone seeking to be a better friend to the people around them!

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