April 12th, 2021: Helpful Responses in Challenging Time

 

I have talked to many people since the last April online and in person. They have been in touch with me for different reasons. Most of them need to talk about relationship challenges. Some are finding it hard in dealing with their own internal struggles, their relationships with their families, and at work. So how can we help one another?

Kindness is essential as we spend time talking about what people are going through. It is not always easy to understand, but understanding is not the most important. Being there in kindness is far more needed.

Helping others to see how important they are in the lives of their loved ones will encourage them to find hope and meaning. For example, some people are dealing with doubts about their relationships with their children and spouses.

Some want to discuss what they have learned over this last year and how that has impacted their lives. Sometimes we need someone else to validate our life lessons as we share with them. Meaningful conversations can deepen our learning.

Some talk about their fears of losing their health, jobs, independence, and comfort. Some even talk about their plans to deal with these fears only to discover more fears. As long as people can talk about their fear, they might not feel alone in what they are going through.

Some discover new passion and conviction in their work and their relationships with others. It is refreshing to find what we can learn when we pay attention to what we used to take for granted. Sometimes being away from our self-preoccupation is beneficial for our emotional development.

We don't have the answers for a lot of things. There are many opinions and ideas about how we should deal with Covid-19. People are getting restless. Small businesses are ready to either throw in the towel or revolt. Governments are certainly not trusted for many reasons. Maybe, we learn how sick we are as a society by dealing with this crisis. Let us commit how to be part of the needed redemption by our kindness and willingness to be there for one another. 

Ephesians 4: 32

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

Colossians 3: 12-13

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."