Thursday, August 7, 2014

By: Gwen Hitt

Crying with You 

Romans 12:15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 

Whenever my three-year old grandson realizes that it is time for him to leave my house, he will ask, "GG, will you cry for me?" At first, these words truly cut through me, and I DID want to cry when he drove away with his parents.  That is ....  until I realized that these are his parting words to almost EVERYONE!

Just as my grandson wants to be assured that those in his life will "cry for him" when he has to go through the pain of separation, there ARE individuals in our lives who need for us to WEEP with them when they are experiencing difficult times. In fact, today's scripture contains God's encouragement for us to do so.

However, rather than crying with them, we often tend to offer advice as to what they should be doing to rise above their situations. Maybe we think that by joining in their tears we are allowing them to wallow in their troubles ... that we are joining in their pity parties.

BUT the opposite is true. By offering them a shoulder to cry on ... by shedding tears as they cry ... by showing our compassion, we are demonstrating the love of Christ. In John 14:18, Jesus tells us "I will not abandon you or leave you as orphans, I will come to you." He promises to come to us in our pain ... our storms ... our discouragement.

I once read that "the interesting thing about pain and joy is that whenever you share a joy, it gets doubled. But it's the opposite with pain. When you share a pain, it's halved."

My challenge to you today is to always keep in mind that the compassion that we share with those who are in the pits of despair may be the life ring that they are so desperately grasping for in the turbulent waters of their storms. Know that crying with them may be the ONLY action that is necessary in these times.

Dear Lord, Equip me with the compassion necessary to minister to those who are hurting. Remind me to refrain from offering words of advice when my tears are what would bring more comfort. Let them feel Your love through my compassion.

I thank You, my Jesus, for dying for me. I believe that You are Lord and that God raised You from the grave so that I can have eternal life.

Reflection: Do I tend to offer words of advice rather than just "being there" for my friends and loved ones when they are in pain?