Ministering To Others – Part 2

Therefore encourage each other with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:18

Professor Tony Campolo once attended the funeral of an acquaintance, and by mistake ended up at the wrong funeral parlor. The body of an elderly man was laid out, and his widow was the only mourner there. She seemed so lonely, Campolo stayed for the funeral and then accompanied her to the cemetery. After the committal service, as they were driving away Campolo confessed that he hadn’t actually known the lady’s husband. ‘I thought so,’ she replied. ‘I didn’t recognize you. But it doesn’t matter. You’ll never, ever, know what this means to me.’ Philip Yancey writes: ‘Simple availability is the most powerful force we can contribute … We rightly disparage Job’s three friends for their insensitive response to his suffering. But read the account again: “When they came, they sat in silence beside Job for seven days before opening their mouths” … those were the most eloquent moments they spent with him. Instinctively I shrink back from people in pain. Who knows if they want to talk about their predicament or not? Do they want to be consoled or cheered up? What good can my presence possibly do? My mind spins out these rationalizations and as a result I end up doing the worst thing possible: I stay away … No one offers the name of a philosopher when I ask, “Who helped you the most?” Most often they describe a quiet, unassuming person … who was there … who listened more than they talked, who didn’t keep glancing down at a watch, who hugged and touched, and cried … someone who was available and came on the sufferer’s terms, not their own.’ That’s how you minister to others.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me understand that a ministry of presence is important to people during times of distress. In Jesus’ Name, Amen