This post may contain Affiliate links. Click here to view our full disclosure.
During some points in our lives we will come across someone who is hurting. Someone who is hurting so bad that they question God and His decisions. Someone who is in so much pain that it leaves us to begin to also question ourselves why it is that they are suffering so. Being in this position is hard. No scratch that it is heartbreaking. Because it is in this season we are left to wonder what it is that we can do to help ease that person’s pain. After all as I have said time and time again we are the hands and feet of God.
Recently I have this very situation knock on my door step. For those who don’t know me I am a very emotionally involved person. If I deal with you on a regular basis I instantly think of you as family. This dear friend suffered a great loss. I shed a lot of tears. After all I was emotionally invested into this situation. I was left to question God why is it that He causes me to get so attached and then when it goes wrong I am left feeling crushed. All that day I looked at my life. No, I don’t have all the greatest things because my husband and I like living simply. But at that moment I felt unworthy. God has blessed me so much with my family. Why is it that He has blessed me so much and yet He didn’t do the same for this person. Again more tears came. Sometimes comforting someone who is hurting can just simply leave us feeling helpless.
After my personal pity party I began to pray. “Lord show me what I can do to ease this persons pain.” Almost instantly I was reminded of all the times that I had been in pain and what people did for me to ease my pain. Though those acts of kindness didn’t take away my pain they did in fact help ease the pain.
So how to we comfort the hurting?
- We can provide them with a listening ear. We may not know how they feel but we can certainly listen. Now listening does not mean putting our two cents in but it does mean that they have someone that they can vent to and know that they are not being judged for the raw emotions that they are feeling. During times of pain we need this. We long for someone to simply listen as we try to sort through our own emotions.
- We can provide them with a shoulder. Sometimes people do not even want to talk instead they just need someone to lend them a shoulder to cry on. Again they do not need our advice at this time they simply need us to be there to remind them that they are not alone.
- Cover them in prayer. Even though often times we tell people we are praying for them it is more important to simply do it. God is the great comforter. As we are praying for their comfort we also need to pray that God will give us the strength and the knowledge to care for them.
- Volunteer your time. If they have children and they need time away volunteer to babysit. Offer to do some of their errands. Get creative but whatever you do by all means do something.
It can be hard to watch a friend or love one to go through a difficult time. However it is during those moments that we can really step it up and provide a glimmer of light in a time of utter darkness.
I would love to hear ways that you can or have found to comfort a friend during a dark moment in their lives. Or maybe you have some ideas that have blessed you during a dark moment in your life. Leave your ideas in the comments below or if you are a blogger and have actually written about this subject matter then leave your link in the comments as well.
Until Next Time Just Keep Soaring 4 Him,
What if I am the hurting person? How do I find someone to listen???
Often times people do not step in because we do not realize that the other person is hurting. We as women are so good at hiding what is really going on with ourselves. Reach out to a friend that you can trust to talk about what is bothering you and above all cling to Jesus. I am more than willing to listen to you if you need. You can email me at [email protected]