By Rae Lynn DeAngelis
“But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” (Psalm 86:15)
I’ve been told that I don’t hide my feelings very well. Apparently everything about my demeanor, my voice, facial expressions, even my breathing is a dead giveaway of my emotions.
When I was at the nail salon, the technician asked if something was wrong. I was kind of surprised by her question since we had barely spoken the entire time she worked on my nails.
“Why do you ask?” I prodded.
“Well,” she responded, “you kept sighing while I was doing your nails.”
I thought to myself, Wow! I really don’t hide my feelings well. Even the nail technician is on to me.
My daughter is very perceptive when it comes to discerning my state of emotions. She’s even able to distinguish my mood when I answer the phone with a simple hello. My son says that I’d never make it as a poker player because my face says it all. What can I say? When my heart aches, it shows.
When we are hurting, sometimes it’s good to share our heartache with a brother or sister in Christ. An older woman from my church must have noticed my downcast spirit because she asked if I was okay. I immediately began to tear up. As this dear woman sat and listened to me pour out my heart, her eyes began to tear up too. I was so touched by her response.
It was a vivid reminder that sometimes the best thing we can offer someone who is hurting is our own sincere, heartfelt sorrow. This woman didn’t offer advice. She didn’t offer up Scriptures. She just cried with me. That said it all. Her tears showed she cared. She was sad because I was sad.
Jesus is the most compassionate man who ever walked the face of this earth, and He deeply felt the pain of others. The shortest verse in the Bible states that “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). These two simple words reveal Christ’s heart towards our pain and suffering.
“When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.” (John 11:32-33)
Sometimes sorrow is so great that the only person with whom we can share our heart with is our Lord Jesus. There is no better place to go with a broken heart. Jesus will minister to us in ways that no human being ever could.
Are you hurting today? Jesus is waiting to wrap you in His loving, compassionate arms.
“The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry.” (Psalm 34:15)
“The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:17-18)
