When Life Hurts-Part 3

We’re wrapping up a quick week of discussing When Life Hurts. We’ve said: When Life Hurts…LISTEN, LEARN and today…When Life Hurts…LEAN.

We’ve been listening and learning and while I could make the obvious case we now need, in the midst of our pain to lean toward God (which we should), I want to take this leaning in a different direction. I want you to consider to LEAN TOWARD OTHERS.

One one hand, we need to find our safe, strong people and lean into them for their encouragement and support. We need to always be cultivating genuine friends, so when life hurts and when you feel like falling, you have someone to lean up against. It’s the powerful reality we experience when we’re truly involved and engaged in the church.

On the other hand, I have seen the power of serving others as a way of us coming through our painful seasons. We don’t have to wait until our painful season is over to start bringing Christ’s love to others. It might just help to get our eyes off our problems and on to helping someone else who Christ loves.

George Bernard Shaw, “The worst sin we can commit toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them – but to be indifferent toward them.”

This weekend, even in your own pain, look for a simple way to help someone else. I think it will do wonders for you as you lean into someone else’s pain and bring them a bit of God’s grace and joy.

“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:23-25 NLT)