The hurting are all around us

      It seems wherever I am, I see hurting people. Either they've been hurt or they are hurting now. My heart hurts for them. I want to help them. Sometimes, I just don't know what to do, but I do want to give them an encouraging word.

      Whether it is the Japanese people enduring hardship after the earthquake or a woman right in my own neighborhood, my heart is compelled to help them, pray for them, encourage them and to give them hope.

       Do you know someone who is struggling with a crisis right now? Do you ignore it, hoping that the subject doesn't come up? Or do you tackle it right on and address it, and offer the person some hope and encouragement? There are people all around us struggling with addictions, rejection, loss of a job, a divorce, a rebellious child, health issues, living in an unhappy marriage and I could go on and on.

       I met a woman in the post office the other day. We said hello to one another and then she told me that her son had died a few months earlier. She was a stranger. But, I could tell she was hurting and she needed to tell someone....so I listened. I asked her about her son. Then, she told me how her husband wasn't taking it so good. He had lost his only son. I listened some more. My heart went out to her. She teared up. Yes, in the middle of the post office, as we waited to get stamps. I encouraged her. She said she went to church regularly and that she was involved. She felt the Lord giving her strength. She told me how she could see God bringing the good out of the situation and she was being used to help others who had experienced the same circumstances.

       Let's get out of our comfort zones and reach out to others who are around us. Don't just do it at church. What about those who we meet everyday who don't go to church? They need Him in their lives. Jesus is the only Answer!