Why #THERAPY_REDEEMED?

pc: IMDB

Ever heard of Jet Li?

Here’s one of his best films, Fearless.

“Near death, he is rescued by women from an idyllic village, and is offered simple kindness and generosity that help him heal and regain his equilibrium over a period of several years. Huo realizes that the future of martial arts lies in sportsmanship and not brutality, and he rejoins society to apply what he has learned.” –Rogue Pictures, IMDB

I feel like I’m being re-introduced to society to launch Therapy Redeemed.

I created it for 3 main reasons.

1. Share my lived story as a Korean American Adoptee, past, present, and future.

I know many adoptees who’ve struggled with identity and belonging, faith and doubt, spent years searching for their birth family, crawling through seasons of paralyzing fear and frustration. Me, too. You’re not alone. And I came back in a way I never could have predicted. There are a ton of things I wish I knew during those earlier years of my life. I’m taking a big risk here in telling my personal story to ultimately inspire relief and ignite revival in your story, so that you can flourish doing the awesome things you were designed to do, in whatever vocation or calling or relationship you’re placed in today.

For the adoptee reading this right now, I hope to curate enough of my narrative here to one day publish a comprehensive resource and book for you, your family members, and those who seek to hear and support the adoptee community. I’ve listened to your stories and sang songs with you around campfires throughout the past decade. Your courage and vulnerability inspired me to search for and find my birth mother in Korea. I know how important those community spaces have been for us and what it’s meant for each one who’s been a part of it. Let’s keep building that community together in places like Therapy Redeemed.

2. Connect language from pastoral theology, adoption, and psychology to popular cultural references.

(60 second read coming up, get comfy) All to serve the process of Gospel-centered healing, restoration, and discipleship; aimed first at my own heart and then outwards to the ends of the earth.

I hope to get a conversation started here. Or add to the dialogue that’s already happening and to those yet to be. There are handfuls of highly respected thought leaders and influencers out there who know decades more than I do, in all the fields I mentioned. Even those industries that extend past our scope of understanding.

I do feel like I’m being “re-introduced” to society right now, but perhaps with more questions than ever before. The solutions aren’t so clear and I believe we’re supposed to talk about these things together with humility, love, and respect.

With over 30 years of experience trying to fit in where I don’t belong, I’m an expert in one thing, my story. So that’s the voice and framework I’m offering to the conversation.

I’m a huge fan of the multi-disciplinary approach, so that’s why I’d welcome anyone from other histories and backgrounds to help me ask questions from different angles. Let’s choose to break bread together at Therapy Redeemed in service of our mutual interests: serving our communities.

Our wisdom as a collective would move mountains if we came from that place of love.

And yes, I’m personally convinced the answers to the deepest questions of the human condition lie within every word written in the living Scriptures (those bibles on our shelves); namely, in Jesus Christ the Son of God, who I’m soooo persuaded is the one completely responsible for the entire narrative of my adoption story, my son story, father story, life and death story, resurrection husband friend neighbor brother musician artist foodie movie-fan and I-write-the-longest-run-on-sentences story. I believe it. I’m living it right now.

And, as I connect theology and psychology, we’ll come across many questions together. Regarding my faith, for legit sound doctrine and practice and apologetics about Jesus may I point you over to Desiring God or Gospel Coalition. They’ve got scholars and pastors and ordained experts who will crush the nuts and bolts out of explaining who Jesus is and what the “Christian life” is all about.

I’ll write some here in this space but mainly I’m gonna go a little off the script and explore places that might feel new for the typical person to talk about (myself included), within the broader themes of theology, adoption and psychology. Was that longer than 60 seconds?

3. Take imperfect action on ideas that burn in my soul.

It’s a risk. And it’s not perfect. But I believe it needs to be done. Part of our calling in life is to take action, receive feedback, pivot and make adjustments when needed, and entrust the fruit to our faithful Creator. Just getting started has been the hardest part so far.

This is me just getting started.

(What’s your idea and what would you look like if you started right now? Go for it!)

I’m a person who’s suffered deeply and received comfort abundantly more than I could imagine. My hope is to pass along as much of my testimony and reflection as possible, that it could be used for some good; now and for generations to come.

I’m just a creature pointing to the Creator. A citizen pointing to his King. An orphan to his Father. Beloved pointing to the Lover. Lost pointing to his Shepherd. Captive pointing to his Redeemer. Prodigal returning, sufferer rescued, and a worshiper restored.

“Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” -1 Peter 4:19

 

Featured photo credit: IMDB