Please Don't Tell Me That...

I loved this blog/devotional today! This is something I have thought for years. Reading it right now when I've just lost my mom makes it hit home all the more.

Since Mom died, this thought has been with me:  how can I better minister to others now when they suffer loss?

I started mentally keeping track of what people said that really offered comfort to me. There is  not a magic phrase, even a "Christian" one, that will make the hurt disappear. This is a time to mourn. Plain and simple. We move through it to a time of laugh and dance, like Scripture tells us.

Ecclesiastes 3:4

What really comforted me was when people just shared why my Mom was special to them. Then, they hugged me, said they were praying, and moved on.

Now when I encounter someone who is hurting, I hope to remember to stop and see where they are and meet them there. Not minister to them in a way that makes ME feel better, but minister to them in the way they truly need.

Mom's death has left me feeling just raw. That is the word that keeps coming to mind. I noticed Lysa TerKeurst used it as well. It just accurately portrays the emotional state when going through this type of loss.

Read this devotional below. It will make my post make more sense. :)

Please Don't Give Me a Christian Answer


For all those who have ministered to me: thank you.

For all those whom I bumbled my way in the past in attempts to minister: I'm sorry.