“Being Soft in Hard Times”

⁹ Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. ¹⁰ If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. ¹¹ Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? ¹² A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NLT

Recently I bumped into someone whom I haven’t spoken to in a long time. And what I mean by that, is that we’ve had many occasions where we’ve exchanged life stories, the good, the bad, and the ugly. But significant time had passed and we just haven’t taken the time to deeply reconnect.

After the usual greetings were exchanged, I looked into her eyes and intentionally slowed down my speech and said, “So, how are you really doing?”

I think that too often we get caught up in the next thing ~ place to go, project to complete, people to see ~ that we’re in this hamster pace trying to attend to all the things and missing out on the single most important thing that’s going on in front of our faces.

If we surrender our lives and our daily agenda’s to the Lord, I think we’d be utterly amazed at who He puts in our path. And many times He’ll place them right smack dab in front of our faces.

It’s no secret: life is hard. People all around us are going through something. Some of those life events are really hard and harder to shoulder going it solo. We are included in that struggle (don’t discount your own personal battles).

When we inquire with those we encounter, “How are you really doing?” are we willing to go there with them when the unpacking begins? When the tears start to flow, will we be inclined to remain still and inviting of all the emotions that are about to come flooding, providing a safe harbor for a battered boat that’s been tossed in a storm?

Are we willing to give permission without judgement for all the harshness of life to be unleashed in a tsunami of sobs and vulnerability? Can we surrender our time and arms in hard times, and be that soft landing for a shattered soul?

Thinking back on my own experiences, I know that I’ve become more wise and discerning about with whom to share my pain. Maturity does that.

Some folks will show through their body language that they are in too much of a hurry and do not have the desire to invest in a heavy conversation at the moment. Those are the ones for whom the boundaries must be drawn. And it’s okay not to feel badly about doing that for your heart.

And there are those precious ones that haven’t learned yet how to listen before chiming in with their own woes and trials, some of which will ‘top’ yours. These persons you keep on your prayer list but you don’t have those intimate conversations with.

I’ve learned that the ones with the ‘kind eyes’ who are willing to hear me out and pray with and for me are the ones who are showing me Jesus. His comfort will pour through them and overwhelm my soul. That is the soft landing for my spirit in hard times.

Let me challenge you today, Friend, to be that strong person for the one who is brokenhearted.

⁹ Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT

¹² Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. Exodus 17:12 NLT

Let’s remember that it takes courage and vulnerability for someone to share their heart with us. And when they do, it’s because Jesus trusts us with it. ❤️

I love you to Heaven and Back, Girlfriend ~

LindaRJohnson, TitusTwo Visionary