How to Counsel Your Friends (Without Being Their Therapist): How to Handle Others’ Emotions, Ask Good Questions & Be a Good Friend

How do we care for our friends when they're struggling with difficult emotions? When do we listen and encourage, and when do we lovingly challenge them?

In this episode, we're wrapping up our emotions series and continuing our conversation about Christian community. We talk about what it looks like to walk alongside our friends with both compassion and biblical truth, from validating someone's feelings without automatically validating their perspective to asking thoughtful questions that help them examine their own hearts.

We also discuss the importance of active listening, discerning when to challenge someone, and knowing the difference between encouraging a friend and simply telling them what they want to hear. How can we help one another turn to Scripture, pray specifically for each other, and grow in wisdom without trying to diagnose or fix every problem?

Finally, we talk about the limits of our own ability to help and recognizing when a friend might need additional support from a pastor, counselor, or other professional.

Christian friendship is about more than making each other feel better. We're called to bear one another's burdens, restore one another gently, and encourage one another in truth. So how do we do that well? Let's talk about it!

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Other episodes in our community series:

Confession & Community with Gracin Johnson

⁠Sacredly Ordinary Stewardship⁠

⁠The Art of Friendship⁠

⁠The Truth of Motherhood