Sunshine Following the Rain

“Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” (Ephesians 4:29, NLT).

There is that precious, opportunistic moment; when a gentle hand by a touch on the shoulder is able to magically remove the sting of failure from the midst of defeat. There is something about a shoulder that invites attention when we are slumped in sorrow, embarrassment or exhaustion. Shoulders drop when the heart aches. Shoulders stoop when the head falls. In this sense they are the signpost by which others must know there is a disaster brewing within. The funny thing about it is that the same sign affects different people in different ways.

There are those people who avoid contact when others are hurting. It’s almost as if they sense that whatever it is that they have, they don’t want it to be transmitted to them. “If pain and defeat look like this, I certainly don’t want any part of it.” Then there are those who, upon seeing someone else downtrodden, identify all too clearly with the emotion. They feel it in their hearts and reflect upon a time when they too were so stricken. “That hurts and the more I look at it, the more I remember my own hurt.” They are quick to move on. But, thank God, there are those who are drawn to the slumped shoulder of the wounded warrior. They see it as an opportunity to intervene and stop the hurt. They see it as a way of lifting someone up, even transferring some of that pain to themselves in order to keep the warrior standing. “Give me some of your hurt. I just can’t bear to see you suffer so.”

There are many heroes in this life. Some bravely climb mountains or hit homeruns. However, no one is braver than the one who is willing to take on the hurt of another and pump encouragement into them, giving them hope in a hopeless situation.

We can express our love for others in many ways. There is, perhaps, no greater and more meaningful way of showing we care than making sure that we are always on the lookout for the person with the slumped shoulders, the hanging head and the tear-streaked cheek. It may seem like an invasion and at first there is a certain level of discomfort when we enter into the realm of despair. But, once in, just our presence can do more for a sorrowful spirit than almost anything else. We run into people every day that need our gentle hand; people who simply long for that touch on the shoulder and that reassuring word. When we see others who have are hurting, discouraged, or struggling with life, this is nothing less than an opportunity for a Christian to enter in and thereby open the path to healing and restoration. You can put your hand to no finer task than grasping the shoulder of a brother or sister warrior in Christ who may be hurting today. Your touch can become the sunshine that follows the rain.

Pray with Me:

Father, help my words be pure and helpful. There are many walking around with slumped shoulders in need of encouragement. Use me today to be the sunshine in the midst of their dark and dreary storm. Amen.