IF I COULD ONLY TAKE THEIR PAIN AWAY......

I read something interesting about empathy. We all are so uncomfortable when one we care about is hurting. It is easy to throw a “this is what you need to do” or “pray” or whatever advice we seem to throw out there. I do it myself. After Job lost everything, his friends actually acted like this. Some told him he needed to repent, others said it was his sin or his families sin and so forth and so on…. Read Job, great story of one man’s faith while literally going through everything one could endure.

We do not know. We may be able to imagine. Our hearts can feel for someone, but we truly do not know what it is like to walk in someone’s pain. And that is by the grace of GOD. We all have our own paths to walk and our own problems to endure.

As hard as it is to do, sometimes one just needs to know that you are there with them, you are praying for them and you hurt for them. That is all. No bible verse to point to, no advice, just a simple, I hurt because you hurt. 

Myself, being an action oriented person, wants to take away the pain of others. It is so difficult to watch but truth be told, that is MY issue. OF course we are uncomfortable when one of those we love is suffering. 

JESUS felt all that we feel. HE knows. And HE is there holding us and giving us hope. That is where there is hope. HE wept when there was sorrow, HE hurt when there was pain, HE got angry when he saw people straying from GOD…… We can do no more or no less….

We can be there for someone in prayer….and reassurance, perhaps a hug; and when appropriate perhaps a comforting bible verse. That is what stitches us together all under HIM.

John 11:35 Jesus wept.

LORD, help me to understand that sometimes all we can do is to pray and cry for others. The problem cannot simply be solved. But empathy and truly being there in all can go a long way. JESUS let me understand that YOU wept when Lazarus died. YOU hurt when we hurt but by YOUR grace WE have hope and everlasting life by the ultimate cry YOU did for us on the cross. IN JESUS NAME I PRAY, that we can sometimes just be there for others, a hug, a prayer and ultimately THY WILL BE DONE. Even though I sin and truly am afraid I will not be able to handle YOUR WILL – I do know that YOU provide all of the tools to. Thank YOU JESUS, there are not enough THANK YOU’s! I love YOU LORD, AMEN!

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