A man at work once told me about a friend who was in serious trouble. He’d expressed frustration over the fact that he didn’t know how to help. What could he do? Did I have any suggestions? I was reminded of the biblical story of Job, a man who lost nearly everything he had. His friends came over to support and encourage him. They stayed with him for seven days and sat with him in silence—I like that—but then they told him this was all his own fault and that he must have done something God didn’t like, and thus, deserved this terrible punishment. They thought they were helping and they wanted to “fix” their friend’s pain. Does this sound familiar to you? Have you ever tried to fix someone's problem? Has anyone ever tried to fix you? Today, let’s consider this as we listen to a brief passage from one of the Apostle Peter’s letters:

Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. (1 Peter 3:8)

A few years ago I heard a radio interview with Sharon Osborne, wife of rock star Ozzy Osborne. She was asked about her friendship with radio talk show host Howard Stern, who is well known for being a dark and irreverent person. I eagerly waited to hear what she might have to say about her relationship with this infamous reprobate. Here’s what she said.  “Let me tell you something about Howard Stern. When I was going through chemotherapy and unable to get out of bed, Howard came over to see me every day. He climbed into bed, read to me and when I felt like crying we cried together.” I was stunned. Here was a guy demonstrating deep compassion for his friend, a guy who is despised by much of the Christian community. I wonder how many of my friends would do that for me. More importantly, I wonder if I would be compassionate enough to do that for my friends. Sometimes the best thing you and I can do for someone who is hurting, someone whose heart is breaking, someone who has lost someone or something, is just to be with them. We cannot fix our hurting friends, but we can be present with them. God does that for us, you know. When we are in pain, He comes to us, “in the valley of the shadow of death”. Do you know someone who is hurting today? Take time to be with that person. You can be present for them in their trouble the way God does with us...and that is very Good News!