I want to take a moment today to share something that I have observed over my few years in ministry, and my many years in life.
We all have pain and struggles. No person goes through life without them. Some are physical such as broken bones, Covid-19, cancer and more. Others are emotional such as depression, bipolar, and the like. Still, there are other challenges such as loss of jobs, loss of loved ones, and natural disasters. As if all of this wasn’t enough, or more than enough, there are the daily struggles. Someone drops and breaks a glass. We all read the headlines. Another person locks their keys in their car, with it running. We won’t even mention the puppy putting a hole in the wall and digging up the backyard. (I guess I did mention it.)
So I think it’s pretty obvious that everyone, regardless of age, gender, skin color, culture, and whatever else describes us, has struggles. Here is the rub. We all too often look upon others and determine that our own struggles are more or less than theirs.
Someone walks through their living room, and stubs their toe on the coffee table. No, it’s not a debilitating disease, or the loss of a loved one. Still, it hurts like blazes to the point of making the person, this person, shout a few profanities. It hurts. Just because someone else is struggling does not magically make my toe feel better.
This also happens, though in a well meaning way. Someone loses their job, and a friend might say, well, "at least you’re healthy with a good resume.” The comment may be intended to bring some emotional relief, and may even be accurate. However, the person who lost their job is still struggling emotionally, probably financially, and the further ramifications may be unknown. The pain is still present, and real.
I want to encourage, and remind everyone, that whatever you are struggling with, however you are hurting, it’s real. Furthermore, it’s not a competition to see who can hurt the most. I’ve known people who have been in serious pain who comforted those who might not have been experiencing the same challenge. I’ve seen unemployed people give to the homeless.
Whatever you are feeling, whatever you are going through, however heavy your burden is, it is real. It is not diminished by someone else’s journey. You are worthy and deserving of compassion, care, love, and more. God knows this. I know this. And now, you know it.
Friends, many of our struggles are not made lighter by someone else’s hutddles, but by all of us supporting one another. Stepping on a Lego might not send me to the hospital, but it hurts all the same. A flat tire on the freeway may not be a car wreck with injuries or worse, but it still can make for a bad day. If you are in pain, you are hurting, and those around you care.
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