Have you ever been in a trial, in a hurting time, a changing time in your life and all you really need is a hug, just a simple heart felt hug that means so much? We have all have those times in our lives when we just need a friend to reach out and just be a friend. There are times yes, for advice when we ask for it, or if we are falling and the Lord has laid it upon a friends heart to share God's word to lift us up out of the pit, to keep us from stumbling, but for the most part we need our friends to understand, to listen to all that we have burdened on our hearts, to open their arms and say, "I love ya my friend." I have been on both sides, on the side who needs a hug, and on the side of being a friend and just listening, just letting the other person share, allowing the tears fall and showing them love. I have been the one to share advice, too try to fix the situation, and ya know what? Sometimes we end up saying the dumbest things with the best intensions. How can we say we understand someone else's situation, when we have never walked in their path? How can tell someone its going to be okay, when we have no idea what is around the corner? Its often easy to give advice when we ourselves have never been in that position, we can only think of what we would do, but ya know what? We never know until we too are going through that trial. Lets read Galations 5:22-23 " But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Against such there is no law." To be a friend, we must be the kind of friend we would want for ourselves. We must be kind, compassionate, gentle, showing peace and being long suffering with your friend. Its showing goodness, and being faithful to the end. Just as we can read in 1 Corinthians 13:13 "Now abide in faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." If we don't have love, if we are not sharing love, we have nothing. I remember when my dad died, hearing all those come to me saying,"He's in a better place now sweetheart, it was meant to be, time will take care of everything, everything happens for a reason, you be strong for your mother." There were many more, but for a nineteen year old girl, I didn't want to hear those things, I wanted my dad here with me, I didn't want him somewhere else, and I sure didn't see the purpose in my dad's death at the time, and that thing about time, time doesn't heal the hurt, its just that as time goes on other things begin to take the place of your hurt, but even today that hurt is still there, just as it was yesterday. When people we love are hurting, just as me with my dad, a hug is what I needed. I didn't need to hear scripture, I didn't need to hear how they had been through hurt also,I just needed grace. A friend to put their arms around me and tell me they loved me. The amazing thing I have learned is I still need that hug. Now in my life I have Christ, I know He is there in my trials and hurts. But just sometimes we need not to hear words, for they do not help when you are in the midst of pain, all we need is a friend who will take the time to listen. A friend that you can go to and share everything on your heart, knowing they may not understand, they may have a different opinion of how they would handle things, but for just awhile may we learn to just be there, just being there makes all the difference in the world. Having someone place their arms around you, to pray over you, and to tell you,"I am here for you no matter what." Do you have a friend like that? Are you that kind of friend? I am blessed with a few that I can go to with anything, and I know they have my best interests at heart, I know they love me for how they respond to me in my time of need. I pray I am that kind of friend, the one who is there, the one who will listen, the one who will just hold your hand in the midst of your pain and let you cry until the tears are no longer falling. We must be to others as we would want someone be towards us. At times there are no words of comfort, but the touch of a friend has healing in it, it has love and understanding. Just the other day as I was with a friend, we were listening to a wise, loving woman speak on a christian radio program. It was not by chance, it is just what I needed to hear, and as my friend knew the tears were beginning to fall, she said nothing, but just placed her hand on me and with that touch it brought peace, for I knew she was there for me. I knew she didn't understand all of my pain for she has never experienced it, and I pray she never has to, but she knew just how to be a friend and just what I needed. The Lord is good that way, He sends those to touch our lives in a special way, He sends those to give love, to listen and to bring comfort, bearing the load of sister or brother is a gift all in itself. If you are hurting, reach out to your friend and allow them to take your hand, to pray over you, and if you are that friend, just give them a hug and leave the words to Jesus to speak to their hearts when it is in His time~
Friday, November 6, 2009
is a hug whatcha need?
Have you ever been in a trial, in a hurting time, a changing time in your life and all you really need is a hug, just a simple heart felt hug that means so much? We have all have those times in our lives when we just need a friend to reach out and just be a friend. There are times yes, for advice when we ask for it, or if we are falling and the Lord has laid it upon a friends heart to share God's word to lift us up out of the pit, to keep us from stumbling, but for the most part we need our friends to understand, to listen to all that we have burdened on our hearts, to open their arms and say, "I love ya my friend." I have been on both sides, on the side who needs a hug, and on the side of being a friend and just listening, just letting the other person share, allowing the tears fall and showing them love. I have been the one to share advice, too try to fix the situation, and ya know what? Sometimes we end up saying the dumbest things with the best intensions. How can we say we understand someone else's situation, when we have never walked in their path? How can tell someone its going to be okay, when we have no idea what is around the corner? Its often easy to give advice when we ourselves have never been in that position, we can only think of what we would do, but ya know what? We never know until we too are going through that trial. Lets read Galations 5:22-23 " But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Against such there is no law." To be a friend, we must be the kind of friend we would want for ourselves. We must be kind, compassionate, gentle, showing peace and being long suffering with your friend. Its showing goodness, and being faithful to the end. Just as we can read in 1 Corinthians 13:13 "Now abide in faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." If we don't have love, if we are not sharing love, we have nothing. I remember when my dad died, hearing all those come to me saying,"He's in a better place now sweetheart, it was meant to be, time will take care of everything, everything happens for a reason, you be strong for your mother." There were many more, but for a nineteen year old girl, I didn't want to hear those things, I wanted my dad here with me, I didn't want him somewhere else, and I sure didn't see the purpose in my dad's death at the time, and that thing about time, time doesn't heal the hurt, its just that as time goes on other things begin to take the place of your hurt, but even today that hurt is still there, just as it was yesterday. When people we love are hurting, just as me with my dad, a hug is what I needed. I didn't need to hear scripture, I didn't need to hear how they had been through hurt also,I just needed grace. A friend to put their arms around me and tell me they loved me. The amazing thing I have learned is I still need that hug. Now in my life I have Christ, I know He is there in my trials and hurts. But just sometimes we need not to hear words, for they do not help when you are in the midst of pain, all we need is a friend who will take the time to listen. A friend that you can go to and share everything on your heart, knowing they may not understand, they may have a different opinion of how they would handle things, but for just awhile may we learn to just be there, just being there makes all the difference in the world. Having someone place their arms around you, to pray over you, and to tell you,"I am here for you no matter what." Do you have a friend like that? Are you that kind of friend? I am blessed with a few that I can go to with anything, and I know they have my best interests at heart, I know they love me for how they respond to me in my time of need. I pray I am that kind of friend, the one who is there, the one who will listen, the one who will just hold your hand in the midst of your pain and let you cry until the tears are no longer falling. We must be to others as we would want someone be towards us. At times there are no words of comfort, but the touch of a friend has healing in it, it has love and understanding. Just the other day as I was with a friend, we were listening to a wise, loving woman speak on a christian radio program. It was not by chance, it is just what I needed to hear, and as my friend knew the tears were beginning to fall, she said nothing, but just placed her hand on me and with that touch it brought peace, for I knew she was there for me. I knew she didn't understand all of my pain for she has never experienced it, and I pray she never has to, but she knew just how to be a friend and just what I needed. The Lord is good that way, He sends those to touch our lives in a special way, He sends those to give love, to listen and to bring comfort, bearing the load of sister or brother is a gift all in itself. If you are hurting, reach out to your friend and allow them to take your hand, to pray over you, and if you are that friend, just give them a hug and leave the words to Jesus to speak to their hearts when it is in His time~
