A friend related his story to me recently. He and his family had gone through a series of fierce trials—psychologically, physically and spiritually.

One of the toughest things for him to comprehend during this time was the reaction of his Christian colleagues.

They couldn’t seem to understand. Their reaction was basically, “Pray more. Read the Bible more. Suck it up. Put on your big-boy pants and get on with life.” Instead of encouraging him, they just added another brick to his load.

How do we respond to hurting people?

That depends, because I think we’re talking about at least two categories of hurt. One is those who are staggering under a trial that’s threatens to crush them. A second category consists of people who are perpetually suffering—and they like it. Miserable is agreeable to them. Continue reading →