Just Pray About It

Original post from September 25th. 2017

UGH. “Yeah, okay, good talk!”

Have you ever poured your heart and soul out to someone only to have them reply with these four little words?

How did it feel? How did it taste? Like deep in your soul, did you feel you were heard? Did they understand what you were saying? Did they hear you say you were going to “run out in to oncoming traffic if one more things goes wrong?!” Maybe. But maybe not.

Sometimes I wonder if we take the time to actually listen to what someone is saying to us, or like me, do any of you get caught up in the busyness of life and, let’s be real – our own drama – that we completely neglect someone trying to cry out to us? Like, “Oh, you just got the worst news of your life? – Just pray about it!” Come on. That is not compassion, nor is it helpful to someone hurting. We all have problems, issues, dilemmas if you will, yes. But to downplay someone else’s, not cool.

² Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.        (Galatians 6:2)

Taking time to listen with our heart, or speak from our own hurt or pain, opens up so much opportunity for both parities. On the one hand you have someone who is hurting and by being able to opening talk about what is going on in their life to someone, to have it met with compassion or empathy instead of overlooked or judged will provide them the opportunity to say, “Okay, I can be vulnerable with this person and not hold in my pain.” Which in turn frees them to walk into the fullness they were created for. – God cannot heal what we hide. – While, on the other hand, for the person listening or “carrying the burden” of someone in pain an opportunity to become more like Jesus in this moment is presented. Numerous times throughout scripture we see Jesus show compassion towards diverse groups of people. The lost, the leper, the broken, the mourning, the blind, the spiritually dead, the list goes on. Think about it, Jesus – fully God, fully man – left all of heaven and what moved His heart, compassion. He did not have to help, save, or heal, any of us but because He loved us so much He chose to. He could have just as easily hardened His heart to those around Him who, betrayed, left, judged, and tortured Him, but no, He showed compassion, even to the man hanging next to Him on a cross.

³⁹ One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹ We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.^[a]” ⁴³ Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43)

That’s compassion ya’ll.

It is soooo easy for us to dismiss what someone else is going through. So easy. I have found myself later feeling terrible that I didn’t slow down long enough to offer my heart to them in the matter. Almost as if my own pain had hardened my heart, making me numb to the pain of someone else. I do not like that. I try to remember how I have felt when it has happened to me, and that has helped me tremendously but it is still something I will always will be working on and striving to be better at.

Only after we have talked through, with, or about something with someone should we say the words, “Just pray about it.” What if they already have prayed about it and God placed you in their path to speak on His behalf? To show them compassion in a tangible form. He will “provide” for us the healing we search for, but He uses you and I do this often times.

Everything we need can be found in Jesus, yet, through Him we find a community to do life with.

You are only as alone as your walls keep you.  

Much love,

K