My thoughts struggle to formulate words today. I had begun writing this and then accidentally deleted it. It's quite possible that I was trying to hard to get words written.
I've seen a large amount of pain and suffering in life, both my own and in other people. sometimes I can give some sort of intellectual response that might be useful but often find myself doing this to prevent my own wave of emotion from surfacing.
Romans 12:15 tells us to rejoice with those who rejoice and to mourn with those who mourn. At no point does it say to offer words to try and make people feel better. It's not that I'm uncomfortable with other people's tears. I'm actually honored when people are not afraid to cry around me. I do not have the same value for my own tears though. When someone else's hurt begins to swell my own tears, I begin grasping for words.
When my family cries I want to ease their suffering. I end up cracking a stupid joke or other wise attempting to minimize the crying of my own heart. I know from my own life that sometimes misplaced words of hope fall like salt in an open wound. I also know that silence can become a very lonely place of isolation. So I end up not having a clue how to respond.
I look at a family member in the midst of medical issues that delays and complications draw out continuing suffering and I don't understand what God is up to. I look at our kids dealing with the devastation of a friends suicide and I have no way of reconciling that pain and grief. I look at around in my friendships where basic life things are epically going sideways. Struggles and confusion in the questions where God's promises and what we see in life look overwhelmingly inconguent with each other.
What is going on here? Our hearts cry out because we run out of words. I've seen miracles come into these places. I've seen God faithfulness to meet us in the immensity of human hurting. I've seen with my own eyes my daughter miraculously healed of a horrible medical issue, and plently of times where desperate need is met with a supernatural resolution.
I don't always have any idea what God is doing but I do certainly know, He's not going to stop doing it. So I thank Him for what I have seen because He is good even when I can't see.
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
psalm 43:5
I've seen a large amount of pain and suffering in life, both my own and in other people. sometimes I can give some sort of intellectual response that might be useful but often find myself doing this to prevent my own wave of emotion from surfacing.
Romans 12:15 tells us to rejoice with those who rejoice and to mourn with those who mourn. At no point does it say to offer words to try and make people feel better. It's not that I'm uncomfortable with other people's tears. I'm actually honored when people are not afraid to cry around me. I do not have the same value for my own tears though. When someone else's hurt begins to swell my own tears, I begin grasping for words.
When my family cries I want to ease their suffering. I end up cracking a stupid joke or other wise attempting to minimize the crying of my own heart. I know from my own life that sometimes misplaced words of hope fall like salt in an open wound. I also know that silence can become a very lonely place of isolation. So I end up not having a clue how to respond.
I look at a family member in the midst of medical issues that delays and complications draw out continuing suffering and I don't understand what God is up to. I look at our kids dealing with the devastation of a friends suicide and I have no way of reconciling that pain and grief. I look at around in my friendships where basic life things are epically going sideways. Struggles and confusion in the questions where God's promises and what we see in life look overwhelmingly inconguent with each other.
What is going on here? Our hearts cry out because we run out of words. I've seen miracles come into these places. I've seen God faithfulness to meet us in the immensity of human hurting. I've seen with my own eyes my daughter miraculously healed of a horrible medical issue, and plently of times where desperate need is met with a supernatural resolution.
I don't always have any idea what God is doing but I do certainly know, He's not going to stop doing it. So I thank Him for what I have seen because He is good even when I can't see.
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
psalm 43:5
My words may fail but His remain.