By Linda Wegner
A friend told me of a visit to his doctor. 鈥淒oc,鈥� he complained, 鈥淪ometimes I hurt in my knees, sometimes in my hands and鈥h, I just seem to hurt somewhere all the time.鈥� Without blinking an eye, the young but professional physician grinned then replied. 鈥淗arry, at your age if you don鈥檛 hurt, you鈥檙e dead.鈥�
If that鈥檚 the criteria I guess I鈥檝e entered 鈥渢hat age鈥� as well. Now I鈥檝e always believed that age isn鈥檛 really counted in years or decades but rather by attitude and fortitude but I confess that these days the most positive of attitudes have been trumped by those annoying bodily aches and pains. Plain and simple, there are few days now where I don鈥檛 hurt somewhere.
But as true as that is and as real as my pain, my physical aches and distresses pale in comparison what someone else might be going through. Fresh in my mind is the distress of my friends in North Carolina; hurricane Florence may have blown itself out but the struggle to overcome the damage caused is far from over. Then there are those who have lost a spouse, those who are desperate in their search for a job or far more situations than I could mention. What can I, as a Christian, do to help ease another鈥檚 pain?
Instructions to the New Testament church include exhortations to remain true to Christ鈥檚 teaching and doing that includes supporting one another. 鈥淏ear one another鈥檚 burdens鈥�, 鈥淐omfort one another鈥� and 鈥淏y love serve one another鈥� are just some of the exhortations given us in Scripture. We are to do what we can to help but with the understanding that while we may not be able to provide a tangible solution, we can pray.
鈥淏ear ye one another鈥檚 burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ鈥� (Galatians 6:2, 9)
