Guthrie on Sad People, Safe Churches

Guthrie on Sad People, Safe Churches

It seems like I am constantly hearing about people who are sad, suffering and dealing with a severe trial of some sort. Just today, I jotted a short message on Facebook to a young man I have known since he was three years old. He just lost his mother tragically. I found myself writing words that probably have little meaning, but what else to say or do? Right now I am traveling across the country and unable to attend the memorial. I am thankful for memorial services because they give us the opportunity to look in the eyes of those who have lost and share from our heart. I think each of us wants to be comforting, helpful, encouraging to those we know who are sad or otherwise grieving. We feel compassion but sometimes cannot find the right words. We repeat what others have said. I remember sitting in a church service years ago when a young woman began to weep. Immediately, the ladies in the church surrounded her and asked her how they could help. She expressed her sorrow in losing her child three years before that. One of them said to her, "Well, you just need to trust God". I thought then how often our words are inadequate to express our compassion for someone such as this young mother. Perhaps these words from Nancy Guthrie will encourage each of us to better encourage those in our lives who are suffering just now.