Have you ever seen someone else in pain? Have you ever known that someone else is in pain and feel helpless to do anything about it? I'm sure almost everyone can answer "yes" to these questions. Have you ever been the one in pain and felt the love, comfort, assurance, understanding....of someone reaching out to you? It's so powerful. All it takes sometimes is a hug...or a kind word...or listening and not saying a word...or just being there. That connection from another human being lets you know that even though they may not have any idea what you are going through, you are not alone.
Today I decided I wanted to leave work at 3:30. I had things I wanted to do before I picked the kids up. But 3:30 came and I still wasn't done with some things I wanted to get done. So I pushed it back to 4 and told myself I was leaving at 4. Well....4pm came and I didn't feel right about leaving. I didn't know why, but I decided I needed to stay until 5. God had a purpose. Everyone at the office left by 4pm except for four of us. I was cleaning up my desk getting ready to leave and my coworker and friend whose daughter I have spoken about recently came back to talk to me. At first it was about work. But I could see she had way more on her mind. I just stood there and listened to her pour her heart out. She's a very strong woman and her emotions are always in check...so when I saw her start to cry I didn't know what to do. Normally I would hug someone who was crying....but she doesn't like to be hugged when she gets like this. So I just stood there and listened, and nodded my head every once in a while to let her know I knew what she was talking about. She has a lot going on personally right now....obviously....and some difficult things happened today that are work related and she was explaining that it just pushed her over the edge. I could relate. I had a day like that not too long ago....had my little melt-down in the office and left the building to cool down....came back in and apologized to everyone who was within earshot. That is SO out of character for me. But I have been there, so I knew where she was coming from. I never would have asked for things to happen the way they did to get me to that boiling point, but standing there in front of that woman who was having a day much like the one I had a while ago....I was prepared. I could relate.
God doesn't waste our junk. Everything bad that happens to us is used....eventually....to do good somewhere else. Most of the time we don't even see the results or we aren't paying attention enough to make the connection. But none of our pain is wasted.
The other two ladies in the office locked the doors and told us goodnight and left. So here we were just standing there. And she was still crying. And my heart broke for her. After my friend was done getting everything off of her chest, she approached me for a hug. She said she didn't want to leave that place
feeling upset or angry. I hugged her and told her my kids and I had been praying for her and her family. She thanked me. We both packed up to leave. I had been steering clear of her all day because of the anger I could feel coming from her. And now I could see that she was noticeably in better spirits.
I did absolutely nothing but stand there and listen....and be patient....and hug her back when she was ready. Simple. But received in a profound way. She was changed. God surprises me all the time by how He uses the simple things to make a difference. What a blessing to have a front row seat.
Tomorrow. It's a new day. Surprises are on the way....:)
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