NO ENCOURAGING WORDS FOR SUFFERING

Someone challenged my blog last week. They said I could have said more about words not being enough while encountering a suffering friend. I am reading an intriguing book by Rob Bell called Velvet Elvis. He had some interesting words that expressed exactly what I was trying to say.

"Suffering is a place where cliches don't work and words often fail. I was at lunch last week with a friend who is in the midst of some difficult days, and I don't have any answers. I just don't. I can't fix it for him. I've tried. And we sat there and talked and ate, and I let him know that I'm in it with him. It isn't very pretty and it isn't very fun, but when we join each other in the pain and confusion, God is there. Sometimes it means we sit in silence for a while, not knowing what to say. And it is in our suffering together that we find out we are not alone. We find out who really loves us. We find out that with these people around us, we can make it through anything. And that gives us something to celebrate."

Amazing words. That's exactly what I was trying to say.