Weep
With Those Who Weep
By Susan Klein
“Rejoice with
those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”
Romans 12:15 (NIV)
One of my most poignant and
treasured memories is when my pastor and his wife wept with me. I had just lost
a baby, one that they both had fervently prayed God would spare. In His
sovereignty, He did not. The next morning, they entered my hospital room, sat
on my bed, took my hands, and wept with me. They did not offer words of wisdom,
or condolences. They did not quote Scripture to me. They just wept with me in
my time of great sorrow. It was a balm for my weary soul and provided just what
I needed at that very moment.
The shortest verse in the Bible,
Jesus wept (John 11:35, NIV), shows our Lord’s humanly
felt compassion for His dear friends who were mourning and weeping the death of
their beloved. He knew, being God incarnate, that He had the power to change
their circumstances, yet He chose first to stop and experience their pain with
them. He didn’t try to bandage their hurt with well-meaning words. He did not
sit back and watch silently. He saw their grief, which touched His own heart,
and He wept with them.
Have you ever wept with someone? The
common bond that is experienced at that very moment is unlike anything else!
When a person is in the midst of her sorrow or despair, what she desires most
is to be comforted, not insightful theology or the recitation of memorized
verses for just such an occasion. There comes a time for that, later, when she
is on the road to healing. In the heat of the grief, she just wants to know
that she is not alone in what she’s feeling! And grieving with her is
comforting.
“Praise be to the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who
comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble
with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NIV)
Just as we rejoice with others when
they are rejoicing, so ought we take our Lord’s example and weep with those who
are weeping. Don’t be afraid to let them see you grieve. They’ll sooo
appreciate it!
GOING DEEPER:
1. How do you tend to respond to
someone who is grieving? Do you give space, try to offer words of
encouragement, quote Scripture...?
2. Perhaps you are not a “weepy” sort of person. How might you tangibly grieve with someone in her despair?
2. Perhaps you are not a “weepy” sort of person. How might you tangibly grieve with someone in her despair?
FURTHER READING:
Susan is a We Women Bible Study
Coordinator and one of its teachers. She and her husband Mark enjoy tutoring
and working with inner-city youth.
