I talked with a daughter whose Dad is in ICU,
With a boy who’s in his 3rd foster home this year,
With a lady whose husband used to be a pastor but now won’t even attend church,
With her adult son who saw it all happen and is struggling to process everything,
With a homesick girl whose family is in another country,
With a Mama whose child received a difficult, lifelong diagnosis,
With a daughter who is watching her parents’ marriage fall apart.
Where did I find all these people with diverse backgrounds with the thread of pain running through each of their stories?
I found them at my church.
It can be easy to go to church and assume that almost everyone has their lives in order. Maybe you secretly think that you’re the only one with problems and everyone else’s job, marriage, kids, health, and relationships are just peachy.
But it’s not true. Any honest churchgoer will confirm that.
Before I go to church each Sunday, I try to think of the people I will encounter. There is something that’s true about every one of them, no matter their age or station in life: they’re all hurting. Some of them might not even know why.
As a believer in Christ and God’s Word, I know why each person is hurting. It’s because the world—and every person in it—has been ruined by sin. Our minds, bodies, relationships, and endeavors are marked with ugliness and brokenness. There is nothing that hasn’t been stained with sin’s curse.
But God.
As a believer in Christ and God’s Word, I know that there is One who has the power to heal. He knows the hurt we experience because he experienced it in its fullness. Only Jesus can bind up our wounds and heal our hurting hearts because only he truly knows the depth of our pain.
But you.
If you are a believer in Christ and God’s Word, you know these truths. You know that sin is the cause of people’s hurt and Jesus is the only one who can heal. Grounded in the reality of brokenness, you can weep with those who weep. You can make their hurts your own by listening to them, crying and praying with them, and seeking to love them through their pain.
Rooted in the hope of Jesus and his Gospel, you can remind others (whether they are a believer or unbeleiver) that true healing is only found in Jesus. This is the news that will give them hope through their hurt.
Sin always destroys. Jesus always gives life. Always.