Two-minute read.
No one can understand what lies in someone else’s heart, whether bitterness or joy; we have emotions personal to us. When I lost my nephew, my pain differed from everyone else’s who knew him; we all grieved differently. The day I married Ron, joy overflowed my heart, unique to me after the long wait for my mate.
People can have sympathy or celebrate with you, but they don’t entirely understand the workings of your heart. Only God truly knows the feelings you have in the recesses of your soul. Respecting other people’s emotions, whether you agree or disagree, goes a long way towards loving them.
Five of my family and friends have lost children in various ways. I can’t understand the pain they experience because I don’t have kids. Never once have I told any of them that “I know what you’re going through,” because I have no idea the intense hurt they feel from such a profound loss. By the same token, I can’t comprehend the joy they felt when their children entered the world.
Acting like you know someone else’s experience when you don’t does more harm than good. You can still comfort someone even if you don’t completely understand their pain. People in pain need space to process their emotions; we provide it by coming alongside them and walking with them on their journey. Sometimes talking, sometimes saying nothing, but showing up for them during their crisis helps them move forward from grief.
Give people space to feel their emotions and process them. Don’t presume you understand; instead, join them on the journey, walking with them through the good and the bad.
Journal Question:
How have you processed pain and bitterness before?
What does a joyful heart mean to you?
How have people misunderstood your feelings before?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for understanding and knowing the emotions of our hearts. Please give us sensitivity towards others, not presuming we know what they do or don’t feel. Help us love like Jesus always.
IJNIP. Amen
