Be Gentle
“Walk gently in the lives of others. Not all wounds are visible.” ~ Unknown
I think it’s safe to say that we all know some very “put together” individuals. They are people that we can go to at any time. They are reliable. They are quick to aid. They have a great deal of integrity. What we don’t know is that they might very well be extremely wounded. The old expression, “You can’t judge a book by its cover”, really applies here.
When we rely on others to give us the aid and comfort that we need, we need to consider the fact that they might be going through things about which we are totally unaware. There are times when we have turned to someone and they were not there for us. We immediately assumed that it was because they did not care about us and were unwilling to help us. We might never have considered that there were going through things that were much rougher than what we were going through and that, quite simply, they did not have the wherewithal to help at that moment.
This all might be another way of saying that we need to be less selfish. There are other people who are having problems besides ourselves. There are other people who are wounded. There are other people in need.
Sometimes, it helps us to reach out and help others. When we come to the aid of someone who is struggling, we become aware of the fact that our troubles are not quite as bad as we thought. We come to believe that we might have a handle on things on our own. We come to realize that things do not look as dark and bleak as we may have initially believed.
So, when you enter someone’s life and they look like bastions of strength, just remember, they very much may be in need themselves. Do not be afraid to ask if they need a lending hand, a shoulder to cry on, or a listening ear.
FAITH ACTION: Do your best to support someone who needs some help in their life.