There’s an old adage that states you shouldn’t judge a person till you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. There is a reason people say that… it’s true. I’m going to give a few situations for you to think about, then a Bible thought or two…
Until someone in your family goes through the pain of a broken marriage, you don’t know how you would react. Until someone in your family has a chemical addiction that destroys their life, you don’t know what you would do. Unless you have been told by a physician you or a loved one has the “C” word, you don’t know how you’d respond. Until someone close to you leaves this life for the next, how grief will effect you is unknown.
Sooner or later every one of us will encounter a situation that will bring us to our knees (A position to pray). Eventually life will press down with such force so as to make us look up because God is our only hope. Even those of us who are the strongest emotionally, physically, and spiritually can get depressed and feel like giving up and even ask God to end it all.
Aside: Consider Jonah’s request for God to end his life as found in Jonah 4:3. Elijah also had the same request of God as found in 1 Kings 19:3-5 as did Job in Job 3:3-26. Wanting God to take drastic steps to end our pain and suffering is not a sin, but taking steps to bring an end to suffering is.
Now for a few passages of encouragement and hope…
Psalm 103:13-18, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are (but) dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and it’s place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness with their children’s children… with those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts.
Isaiah 42:3-4, “A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoking wick He will not snuff out. In faithfulness He will bring forth justice; He will not falter or be discouraged till He establishes justice on earth. In His law the islands will put their hope.”
Those are verses for us to remember during difficult times about God’s faithfulness to us. Now for two passages for us to be of help and encouragement when others are struggling…
2 Corinthians 1:3-5, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
Galatians 6:2, “Carry each other’s burdens and in this way you fulfill the law of Christ.”
None of us knows what we will face tomorrow, but this is promised to every believer from God… He will not allow anything to come into our life that we cannot handle (1 Corinthians 10:13). It might be tough… we might think we’re about to perish… we may even ask God in our desperation for things of desperation. But His promise is to provide, protect, sustain, help, and encourage us!
Concluding thought. No matter how tough it is, you can’t go it alone! You need God AND you need other believers. Not only that, others can’t make it without God and without you. So when you see someone in need of help and/or encouragement… be there for them. Encourage them and build them up as God has done for you in the past.