Walking with Someone

I talked with someone today who shared something their child is going through.

It was very hard to hear what's going on. In the big picture, things could be worse but for a variety of reasons, this one hit me hard.

It's hard to think of other times where my empathy for what someone was going through hit me so hard. It was a deep, hurting empathy that numbed me for about 30 minutes.

The level of hurt that hit me really took me by surprise.

I think it's a good thing, I'm not sure what it means but I'm trying to discern God's activity in it. It feels like new territory for me to deal with on matters of my soul. I don't like dealing with new territory.

I'm praying for the family and not as a matter of "I should" or it's the "spiritual thing to do" but rather i have an inner burden to do this for them and with them. The sobering thought so far is it causes me to realize, once again, that ultimately I can't do much for my students or my own kids to make them do the right things.

I hope that this internal wrestling on other levels, too, causes me to become 1/2 the husband, father and pastor I dream of being.