Care: Staying Near in Sorrow
Today’s devotional
When someone is hurting, it can be difficult to know where to begin. You may search for an explanation or a sentence that will make things better. Beneath that urgency may be your own discomfort with pain you cannot remove. Care begins by making room for the person who is suffering.
Romans 12 describes a community whose members share joy and sorrow. Love pays attention to what another person is actually experiencing. A celebration deserves companionship without envy. Grief deserves companionship without being hurried. Our shared life becomes more truthful when people can bring either experience into it.
At the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus knew that he would raise his friend. Yet he received the sorrow of Mary and those around her. He was deeply moved and wept. Resurrection hope did not make their present loss unworthy of tears. Jesus allowed grief to matter in the very place where he would reveal his power over death.
His cross and resurrection assure us that suffering is held within a love we do not have to manufacture. Christ carries what we cannot finally resolve. Through the Holy Spirit, we can offer compassionate presence without taking responsibility for another person's entire future. Grace frees us to listen with greater humility.
Consider asking whether company, practical help, or space would be welcome. Then receive the answer. A meal, an unfinished task, a quiet visit, or a later message may be useful. Respecting someone's wish for space can also be caring when it is joined to a dependable willingness to remain available.
Some needs require a wider circle of support. Seek appropriate help when safety or specialized care is involved, and honor your own need for rest. Limits can keep compassion from becoming control. Your presence does not need to explain the suffering. It can become one small, faithful sign that the person has not been forgotten.
Adapted from Week 16, “Care: Staying near when hurt cannot be quickly fixed,” in Wonder Words by Dr. R. C. Titus.
Read the Scripture
Open each passage and read slowly. Notice how the word takes shape within God’s story.
Romans 12:9-16 · WEBU
9Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good.
10In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate to one another; in honor prefer one another,
11not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord,
12rejoicing in hope, enduring in troubles, continuing steadfastly in prayer,
13contributing to the needs of the saints, and given to hospitality.
14Bless those who persecute you; bless, and don’t curse.
15Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.
16Be of the same mind one toward another. Don’t set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Don’t be wise in your own conceits.
John 11:32-36 · WEBU
32Therefore when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.”
33When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews weeping who came with her, he groaned in the spirit and was troubled,
34and said, “Where have you laid him?” They told him, “Lord, come and see.”
35Jesus wept.
36The Jews therefore said, “See how much affection he had for him!”
Pause and respond
For reflection
Where does my wish to fix another person’s pain make it harder for me to listen to what they need?
A practice for today
Reach out to one person carrying sorrow or disappointment. Ask whether company, help, or space would be welcome, and offer one form of support you can responsibly sustain.
A prayer
Compassionate Father, teach me to remain near without taking control. Holy Spirit, help me listen to another person’s sorrow and receive their answer about what would help. Jesus, who wept with those you loved, make my presence patient and truthful. Give us wise support, needed rest, and hope in your resurrection. Amen.
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