In this particular ministry role, we can frequently hear of struggle. From church family to fellow staff, it is an honor to be trusted by others with the pain they are walking through. The trust they place in us to listen, show compassion, and pray with them is something we can never take lightly. Our hearts must always be tender toward the people whom the Lord allows to cross our path each day.
Think of a time when the tables were turned. A time when you were walking through something that was heavy, dark, and so immense you couldn’t see around it to the hope that you hoped was on the other side. Take a moment to place yourself in that memory. Take a moment to remember how it felt. How it affected your thoughts, vision, and faith. Now take a moment to remember the courage it took to give voice to that situation. Even with a trusted friend, it can be a vulnerable place for us. All of us.
Personally, I believe this is a pivotal place for believers. To speak or not to speak – to trust or not to trust – that is the question. Do we continue to carry this burden alone in the effort to protect our hearts from the potential of additional pain that comes from judgment or betrayal of trust? Or do we take the Lord’s word to heart and act on it – trusting Him to provide the wisdom, counsel, comfort, and understanding of the Holy Spirit through the people He has surrounded us with? Yeah, it can feel risky.
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2
Having wise people in our lives is a blessing for many reasons. Likewise, operating in the Lord’s wisdom carries a weighty responsibility. When we carry troubles with others, we have a unique opportunity to help them feel seen as we come alongside them in the journey and stay until God’s work is done. It is a tangible way to love the hurting. It is a tangible way to be the family of God by loving someone – protecting their trust – in the same way we will one day need loved, and our trust protected.
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor;
if either of them falls down, one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up…
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10 & 12
So we walk in the high honor as carriers of the Lord’s love and holders of others’ trust. We listen. We hold hands. We offer tissues. We ask questions. And we walk with our friend – sometimes carrying them – to the throne room of God and ask Him to move as only He can. We pray for them when they can’t find the words. We anoint them with oil and ask God to refuel their faith. And we do it as many times as it takes to build them up according to their needs, so they are lifted by the truth of God (Ephesians 4:29); to remind them that the Lord is faithful to complete what He has started. And one day when we are the one who needs carried, we can trust the Lord to bring wise and trustworthy people of His House to remind us….
You are adored.
You Are Adored 