Learn 3 biblical steps to help a hurting friend:
Care, Prayer, and Repair.
On the outside, Marianne seemed okay. A caring husband, two girls, vibrant and busy in an under-four-kind-of-way, and a master’s in education. Inside she hurt terribly. Do you have a friend who’s hurting?
Here are 3 steps to help her.
It is spiritual CPR: Care, Prayer and Repair.
1. Care
Once you suspect that your friend is hurting, stop. This is what the Good Samaritan did (Luke 10:30-37). You remember the story. On the road to Jericho, a man was beaten by robbers and left for dead. A priest saw him and walked on by. So did the next Jew. When a Samaritan (considered a despicable “half-breed” to Jews) saw him, he stopped and helped.
Next meet her immediate needs. Does she need groceries or diapers for her baby? Could she use a ride to a doctor’s appointment? What about help figuring out which bill to pay next? Most important, listen to her pain. Listening is essential. As she talks and you listen, her healing will begin. But listening is only the beginning.
2. Prayer
Ask Jesus for wisdom concerning your next steps. The Holy Spirit will guide you. Believe this. He wants you to experience his peace. Jesus wants to help your hurting friend. Prayer is your lifeline to God and to your hurting friend.
“I am leaving you with a gift — peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27 NLT).
3. Repair
You’ve met your hurting friend’s immediate needs and have prayed for her; now identify her deeper pain. When I asked Marianne what troubled her, she first said that she missed being in the workplace. She talked and I listened — a lot. I learned she had two major life transitions: she was newer to our community and she had left a job she loved. We talked many more times. Once she realized that these transitions — and her fear of rejection — had led to her sadness, she stopped fretting. She joined a moms’ group at church and contributed her gifts of leadership and drama.
God had not abandoned her as she feared. He brought friends into her life and provided her hope in Jesus’ care.
A Friendship Question: What is one thing you can do today to help a hurting friend? A phone call? An e-card?
Psst. . .Did you see yesterday’s post on finding JOY from a senior saint? You can read it here.
