Jackie had been at our worship service on only two occasions, and when she came to me for counseling, I began by saying, "Tell me who you are." We spent over an hour talking about her, for my sole contact with her had been from the pulpit to the pew, an introduction, and a handshake.

Jackie felt that her whole life was deteriorating. It began when her father abandoned his family and she watched her mother struggle for years to provide a home for her and her sister. Endowed with a brilliant mind, Jackie did well in high school, and a wealthy couple in that small town had provided money for her college education.

"In college, things began to fall apart," she continued her story. It seemed that she was incapable of maintaining any lasting relationships. She had trouble with roommates and facult…