Cancer patients that are praying for a miracle.
Car crashes that claim the life of a teenager with their entire life ahead of them.
Unexpected job loss.
Children with rare diseases and no treatment.
The loss of a first responder that leaves their family completely devastated and numb.
A military deployment that takes place during the birth of a firstborn child or the graduation and college-send off of their last child.
Another miscarriage after yet another year of trying to conceive.
Hurting, ailing, oozing hearts.
Lately I have been reminded that we are surrounded by so many grieving and ailing hearts.
Someone still mourning the loss of a loved one. Someone who is struggling every single day to find joy and hope during the trials and losses that seem to happen continuously.
The idea that rough roads and painful journeys lead to beautiful destinations is often baffling.
When facing a crisis, head-on, the last thing someone wants to hear from a bystander is, “You will be fine, with time” or “You will move on.”
One thing about crisis that we need to know is that every road and every journey is different. We all mourn differently. We all deal with and process pain in various ways. No person copes the same. No person is created the same; hence we think, act, and cope in our own way.
I have been reminded of some amazing people who have faced dark and treacherous journeys, but they came out praising the Lord with their hands in the air.
This concept is still new and often foreign to me. I am thankful for the trials. I am thankful for the difficult times. I am thankful that God uses the rough patches of life to draw us closer to Him, but in the moment of pain and grief – it is difficult to swallow.
It is difficult to raise your hands and thank the Lord for heartache and loss. Maybe it isn’t so much about being thankful FOR that loss or heartache, but merely learning that God is always with us, guiding us, comforting us. That is definitely something to give thanks for.
God can always use devastating situations FOR good.
Maybe our stories can impact someone else facing heartache or we are merely learning the importance of genuine compassion and being there for others during their losses and lows.
It is difficult to tell someone struggling to pay their bills that it will work out.
It is difficult to tell a widow that she will heal and move on.
It is difficult to tell someone whose child has cancer that everything will work out.
It is difficult to tell those who miscarry that they can just have another baby.
Those words can be even more devastating for the person experiencing grief and uncertainty in that moment.
Sometimes, it is not about SAYING anything to someone during their heartache and heartbreak, it is simply about being there for them, loving them, and being sensitive to their needs.
This can be extremely difficult. We often feel like we have to say the RIGHT thing to someone in pain.
Someone in pain just needs to know we care about them and that we will be there for them – with zero judgment on their grieving progress.
They want to know that you do not just care in one emotional moment – they want to know they will not be abandoned during their healing process.
Someone in pain wants to know that hope is on the horizon.
Someone facing heartache wants to SEE AND FEEL the love, not just to be told they are loved and will be cared for.
Actions speak volumes to those who are grieving.
♥️
We all know someone facing a difficult time – whether it be a separation, death of a loved one, identity crisis, job loss, or a period of depression.
Trials are very real. Pain is present in all of our lives in some way, shape, or form, BUT, our God is bigger! The Holy Spirit can guide our actions and focus our heart on compassion for those around us who are facing difficult and trying circumstances.
3 Words – JUST BE THERE.
Be there for your hurting friend.
Let your actions speak volumes and let compassion be the voice of hope.
Maybe you are currently facing a trial. I pray for healing over your heart and your situation. I pray that God can use your story for His glory. It is ok to seek professional help from a counselor, talk to a pastor, or confide in a close friend. It is ok to admit you need help and are struggling. That is not weakness – it takes true strength to ask for help.
Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
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