Have you ever suffered great pain?
Perhaps the loss of a child or spouse, a divorce, a job termination, bankruptcy....loss and disappointment can take all kinds of forms. But, if you live life long enough, one thing is for sure and that is that you will experience loss and disappointment.
Lori, over at "Persevere" ( http://www.lorilaws.com/), had a post that got me to really thinking about how we respond to others who are in the midst of the pain of loss or disappointment. She posted this great video from the skit guys:
This skit powerfully demonstrates the power of "with".
I'm reminded of in Romans 12:15-16 (NIV) where Believers are instructed to:
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another.
God created us to be "with" one another.
But, if I'm candid, I do not find this easy to do. I've failed some of my friends miserably in this area in times past. Boy am I grateful for forgiveness; may I never fail to extend it to others! Sometimes I just have to fight this urge inside to quote a scripture or give a word of encouragement (only it's not encouraging if it's given for me instead of the person who's in pain) It's not always easy to just be with another person who is in pain. It taps into my pain and then I'm there experiencing pain with them.
It keeps coming back to the same old thing for me. It's not about me.
What are some experiences you've had, or things you've learned, about the power of "with"?
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2 comments:
For me, the easiest thing to do is to offer to pray for them. Right then with them present. Even if a person has strayed from their relationship with God, they usually will let you pray for them.
Sometimes, this can be the turning point for them. They Jesus when they look at you, hear Him when they listen to you and can come closer to Him because of your willingness to be obedient to Him.
If I don't react in this manner, then I also find myself making it about me.
Inge, I know you're right about people letting you pray for them. There's a woman I know that is the best example of a Christian I know - she really just loves everyone. One of her gifts was being a really good cook; she used to make a favorite type of cake or pie for all the people she worked with when it was their B-day. People who were not into God would ask to take a walk with her when on their break and tell her their problems and she'd always just pray for them.
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