“Singing cheerful songs to a person with a heavy heart is like taking someone’s coat in cold weather or pouring vinegar in a wound” (Proverbs 25:20 NLT).
There are those who have never experienced loss that think the way to cheer up the one who has is by distraction. However, this response is not only inappropriate, but inconsiderate. The one who would encourage will first seek to understand the feelings of the grieving and then be willing to grieve with them. Sometimes this means to sit in silence and just listen. Other times it means to bear their burdens and cry along with them. As the apostle Paul instructed the believers in Rome, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15).
When Jesus saw Mary coming with tears after her brother had died, what was His response? “Jesus wept” (John 11:35).
Indeed, those who are willing to sympathize with another’s grief often find that sharing another’s burden brings a kind of encouragement to both.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we thank You that You share both our joy and our suffering. You sing over us with joy and You comfort us when we are heavy of heart. Teach us to be Your hands of comfort to those who need us in this world. Help us to know when to sing and when to weep. For You are our Comforter and our Advocate. In Jesus’ name, amen.