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Everyone under the sun experiences difficulties in life.
We all have money stresses. Some of us never have enough and some of us have so much we don't know what to do with it. I'll give you a nickel if you guess correctly which group I've belonged to much of my life, but … wait, let me see if I can find a nickel ...
Most of us have experiences with car accidents, ER trips, stomach bugs and toothaches.
I'm pretty sure we've all had a house that looked like WWF used it as a practice ring.
One thing is certain--we've all had to walk through grief when someone we love leaves this world.
Naturally, that means we have friends who are grieving. People we love who are hurting.
And we want to fix them. We want to find the right thing to say to make it all better.
But you know what?
There are times in life when a good friend remains quiet. When, because you know you cannot fix it, you offer a hug. Maybe a gentle squeeze of the hand.
And if you must say something, you can simply say, "I love you and I am praying."
And then you actually pray.
When you visit a friend with a loved one in the ICU, there's no need to tell him about the time Uncle Herbert was in the ICU for 23 days.
If you talk with someone you love and learn she is facing surgery soon, you can let her know you are praying. Maybe offer a meal when she gets home. She doesn't need to hear about your ruptured appendix.
And when death comes to the home of someone for which you care deeply, it's more than okay to just say, "I care." You can't ease her pain by telling her a story of losing someone you love.
But you can help tremendously by praying. Really praying.
I believe with all my heart most folks have the very best of intentions. Especially in the family of God--I believe we want to help others. Please remember, we must walk our own path of grief and we grieve differently. Don't weigh the hurting down with the weight of your personal grief.
So when you feel the need to speak, talk with God.
Praying is always appropriate.
