Suffering

Growing up, how did your family handle problems? Did you all sit down and discuss it? Did you sweep it under the rug so no one knew?

What do you do when you are in the midst of something terrible? Who do you turn to when life feeds you something horrible? What do you do, where do you go when you are suffering?

Why is it some people tell everyone their problems and other people suffer alone? What are we supposed to do? What does God want us to do?

Depending on the problem, I tend to suffer alone. I grew up in a home where we had to look as if we had no problems. All our issues were swept under the rug. When bad things happened, they were dealt with immediately never to be discussed again.

But suffering takes a while. Dealing with problems may take a lot of time. Perhaps even a lifetime of trying to heal. It may need to be discussed and discussed again.

We need to be patient with ourselves and those trying to heal. If someone needs to talk over and over about something, we need to be there to listen. And if they don’t want to talk, let them be. They may talk when they are ready.

Remember, we are all suffering with something. Sometimes all we can do is lay it down at God’s feet. Let Him have whatever or even whoever it is that is causing our suffering.

Think on what Romans 8 says:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 

You never know what someone is going through unless they share it with you. But remember people are either going through something now, just got over something, or are heading into something. Love them through it all!