Greetings!
Walking alongside someone who is suffering can be really difficult. Empowered by the Spirit, we can bring into their life a moment of peace. However, it is not easy, and for many it does not come naturally.
In his book The Wounded Healer, Henri Nouwen speaks of this:
"To enter into solidarity with a suffering person does not mean that we have to talk with that person about our own suffering. Speaking about our own wounds is seldom helpful to someone who is in pain. A wounded healer is someone who can listen to a person in pain without having to speak about his or her own wounds. When we have lived through a painful depression, we can listen with great attentiveness and love to a depressed friend without mentioning our experience. Mostly it is better not to direct a suffering person's attention to ourselves. We have to trust that our own bandaged wounds will allow us to listen to others with our whole being. That is healing."
Grace and peace,
Mike
No comments:
Post a Comment
Appreciate your comments. Disagreement is okay, but rudeness is not.