HELLO ALL!
Xiao Jun here! :D
I'm here to do a sharing.


I was reading from this small booklet which always comes with the daily bread.

This time round, it was called "When You Don't Know What To Say--Comforting Someone Who Is Suffering". The envelope was delivered to the wrong address to one of my neighbours, and that person kindly dropped it at my door. Thank God it arrived and that person didn't throw it away just bacause it doesn't belong to him.

So I started reading this morning on the way to school and then when I was on my way back home from school.

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This booklet is teaching us, through the story of Job, on how to offer words of comfort and encouragement when our friends are hurting in those awful moments. And awful, I mean life and death, not just because she broke a nail.
If you don't have any background context, please do read the book of Job. It's a really interesting book. This is the summary of the book of Job in my bible...

Considered both a theological and a literary masterpiece, the book of Job is an honest discussion of why God allows good people to suffer. The test of Job's faith, allowed by God in response to a challenge from Satan, revealed God's loving sovereignty and the supremacy of divine wisdom over human wisdom (personified by Job's four friends). Believing in God is good despite the apparent evidence to the contrary, Job rested in faith alone. In the depths of agony he could still proclaim, "I know my Redeemer lives" (19:25). In the end God silenced all discussion with the truth that he alone is wise. Yet he vindicated Job's trust in him, proving that genuine faith cannot be destroyed.

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Job was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.
He was a man with a character of integrity who was living an ideal life. Financially, he was very wealthy. Spiritually, he walked with God and prayed regularly for his 10 children.

But after the dialogue between God and Satan, Job's life is about to change and here comes the rest of the story. His life would never be the same.


God had allowed Satan to scrutinise Job's life and to pay special attention to his character as Satan said that Job's loyalty was not genuine but the result of God building a protective hedge of blessing around him and his family. However, God still drew the boundary that Satan was not to take away Job's life, but still allowed enormous latitude.

Job did not know about this conversation or agreement between Satan and God. We know it as it was stated in the bible. But remember, Job didn't know anything. What would happen if you were in his shoes as his hedge of blessing collapse? Will you trust God, or deny Him straight in His face?

People often turn to the book of Job to try to find definitive answers to the issue of human suffering, but there won't be answers there. In fact, people will discover a story about relentless faith in God despite a hurricane of trouble.
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Job lost...

-HIS POSSESSIONS in terms of his herd of 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 1000oxen and 500 donkeys. & imagine the pastureland he had available to care for these animals!

-HIS CHILDREN he had 10 children, 7 sons & 3 daughters. His family was closely knitted and Job would pray for each and everyone of them. However, during a family feast, a tragedy occurred and all 10 of his children were killed.

-HIS HEALTH Sores grew all over Job, from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He had to go outside the city and reside with the lepers.

-HIS MARRIAGE His wife witnessed what God have done for Job and his family and may have felt that the mishaps on Job were too much, so she simply said: "Curse God and die!" (2:9). Only those who have stood beside the bed of a suffering loved one will fully understand the heart of Job's wife. It's a cry from someone bonded by love to the one who is sick. We must remember that God can handle our anger as he might have handled Job's wife's.



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And how do we comfort someone who is suffering?

We can..

GIVE OUR PRESENCE. Job's friends came and met up at some form of cost, be it monetary, or changes in their time and schedule to coordinate. Your decision to visit a hurting friend may not be easy. But he/she needs someone near who cares. So if the Spirit of God prompts us to go, we must go--even if it's inconvenient.

SIT IN SILENCE. There is nothing wrong with silence. Silence can encourage a bonding of hearts with the one who is hurting. You may just hug the person, sit with them in silence, or leave simply by saying, "I love you!"

LISTEN. Listen, but don't attempt to fix the issues by yourself. You have to listen to his/her heart, the heart issue. You can always come up with a reply like this: "I don't have an answer to the complex problem of human suffering. But I will listen to your heart. I care deeply for you in this season of pain. I'm here for you!" Listen to your friend, choose your words thoughtfully.



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What do we say?

DON'T PLAY GOD. There are no easy answers.
Some suffering comes because we're living in a fallen world. Sometimes trouble comes because God is building our character. Still other struggles come to us just because we are Christians. Sometimes our suffering is teaching us to rely on God's power. Sometimes we may feel that something needs to be said, but we need to refrain from attempting to explain the inexplicable. When we try to provide answers that only God Himself can give, we're playing God. Only our sovereign and loving Lord knows the reasons for someone's suffering. He has his purpose and plan. Let's not act like we know God's mind about the reasons for someone else's suffering. Don't play God.

DON'T BE SUPERFICIAL. Our motives may be admirable, but a grieving hard is untouched by slogans.

REFLECT HOPE.
To those filled with shame, " Grace and forgiveness can come your way."
To those bound up in destructive habits, "When the Son sets you free, you'll be free indeed."
To the weak, "Strength from God-the Strength-Giver- can be yours for the asking."
To the weary, "Jesus promises rest for your soul."
To the poor, richness of spirit.
To the lacking, provision in due time.
To the grieving, consolation and comfort.
To the sick and dying, eternal life and new bodies in the life hereafter.

Words like these, when hope has just about vanished, can be a priceless gift to the sufferer if shared sensitively at the appropriate time.
The most help we can give our friends when they are going through difficult times is to place them in the arms of our wise and caring God. That's where hope is found.

SPEAK KINDLY. Speak words that are kind but truthful, compassionate but honest. Speak words from your heart.

SHARE HONESTLY. When our loved ones are suffering, have serious questions about what is happening to them. Because tragedy will take them on an emotional roller-coaster ride, it is important to listen, to be sensitive to their feelings, and to allow them to lead the conversation. It could also be helpful to cautiously, yet courageously ask what questions they are struggling with. Do they have doubts and fears of the unknown? Some with terminal illness have confessed their need to talk to someone about their condition and how they are feeling. They want a friend who will ask them about their fears and about dying. Ask God to show you if you should elevate the conversation to that level of honesty. You can be available with a listening ear and a compassionate heart.
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I think that from this booklet, I will be better equipped in being a better listening ear and comfort to the suffering. I hope yall will read this and learn something out of it. If you want the booklet, just approach me for it.

I think by being a comforter as God has sent us to for our family or friends suffering, it is a good chance for us to talk about death and sufferings and most importantly, about Christ.

I think that's all for now.
I spent like a week to type this out now and then when I need to get away from my homework.
HAHA!

-xoxo!

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