Sermon Illustrations: Counselling

A man went to a counsellor for advice. His marriage was really bad and he wanted out, but he wanted to hurt his wife as much as possible. The counsellor thought for a while, then said, "I have an idea. This is the way to really hurt her. For the next three months, treat her like a princess. Love her, bring her flowers, buy her gifts, take her out to dinner, do some of the housework. Treat her like she's the most wonderful woman in the world. Then suddenly, you just leave. That'll really kill her." So he did. A few months later the counsellor saw the man walking and said, "So how's bachelor life treating you." "What do you mean?" "You know. How'd it go when you dumped your wife?" "You've got to be kidding. I'm married to the most wonderful woman in the world."

Ascertaining the truth when counselling or mediating in a disagreement is like going to a car yard. There are three prices. There's your price, the sale price, and the real price. The real price is the one you eventually settle on.