Saturday, March 19

happiness and hurt.

This post will be short. Sometimes a poignant thought can be stated very succinctly.

Lately, I've noticed that sometimes, something that is a blessing to one person can hurt someone else. What do I mean? Example: If God blesses you with a child, and your best friend tries but can't conceive... well I'm sure your blessing would cause your friend some pain. It would just hurt to watch. Its not necessarily your fault. Its just a bad situation.

I don't know what to say about this except that I think when God blesses us, we ought to take the utmost care with that blessing. I'm not saying that we shouldn't be happy about what God provides. What I am saying is that a GOOD friend is aware of those around them. A good friend knows when someone is hurting, and guards against further hurt if possible. Certainly, that isn't always possible. But a little intuition and some sensitivity can go a long way. (That aforementioned friend, for example, would probably have a rough time attending a baby shower.) Acknowledging the situation is a compassionate way would likely make things better. And point blank.... your (or my) happiness is not more important than their hurt. God cares just as much about how the person who is lacking feels as He does about you enjoying his provision.

I think that God calls us to be compassionate. So, maybe your friend does all she can to be happy for you. Maybe you wish she'd be there more. Sometimes you just have to look past what you want and understand when someone is doing all that they possibly can.

I think that sometimes blessings come with responsibilities.... just a thought.

2 comments:

  1. I agree. I am kind of on the flip side. A friend of mine is experiencing something I desperately want. I am so so happy for her. I always worry that she'll be afraid to fully share with me details of things that she'll afraid will cause me pain. And although I know I would do the same, I want to hear the details because I want to share in her joy and be happy for her. Sometimes I cry on the inside out of grief for what I don't have, but I am always so happy for her. Thanks for the post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very cool to see that someone understands what I meant. I'm just not sure how to approach a situation when its difficult for me to be happy for someone.... or where I have something that other people don't have. Its such a fine line between being happy and boasting.

    ReplyDelete