Pride: Now I Can Help People
Prideful Thought: Since I’ve survived this horrible pain in life, I now think I can be in a better position to give advice and tell people how they should live their lives.
Truth: Nope. I’ve only begun to understand pain and have much to learn. Jesus knows real pain. And I have only to be grateful and thankful to Him for taking all our pain in this life on the earth.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
As I conclude this series about the sneaky grip of pride in grief, I realize how subtly it can infiltrate our hearts. My journey as a young widow illuminated this insidious trait, and I’m so grateful to the Holy Spirit for shining light on these hidden corners. Through His Word, gentle corrections, and boundless love, He remodels our thought patterns.
While making strides in my healing journey, I gradually felt equipped to assist others in treading the path of grief. For those of us who follow Jesus and have also endured loss, we hear this Scripture often: 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” Yet, it’s important to note that this doesn’t imply an obligation to offer solutions. But that’s a topic for another discussion.
It struck me that this Scripture emphasizes providing comfort, not advice. I had often misconstrued it as a call to dispense recommendations. The real essence is offering the same solace God extended to us during our pain.
Reflecting on my own experiences, I recognize the necessity of treading carefully when tempted to offer advice. My personal struggles don’t grant me the authority to prescribe how someone else “should” manage their circumstances. Instead, I aspire to share my journey and be a source of solace.
The weight of Jesus’ suffering holds a depth beyond comprehension. Isaiah 53 depicts the intensity of His agony and the gift His pain poured out to us. “He was hated and rejected; his life was filled with sorrow and terrible suffering… He suffered and endured great pain for us.” (Isaiah 53:3-5)
Contemplating His pain, I realize it’s His wounds that healed me. His anguish absorbed the punishment I deserved. What an incredible gift! My personal growth from pain is just a fragment of what awaits. It doesn’t make me an authority in guiding others through their struggles. The Spirit, the Scriptures, and the example of Jesus hold that role in a person’s life.
Delving into Jesus’ suffering provides a balanced outlook on my pain. I’m reminded not to let it inflate my ego, but to remain humble, acknowledging the limited extent of my suffering. We all possess unique forms of pain, understood only by God.
As we journey through life, let’s be attuned, open, and compassionate to others’ pain. Your ways of coping might not universally apply, and that’s perfectly fine.
Go to the One who knows. Open your heart and your pain to God in the way that you can, whatever that looks like. He is the only One who can tell you what is good for you for your particular journey. Only He knows best. Trust Him in this. He is faithful.
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“Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh [and died for us], arm yourselves [like warriors] with the same purpose [being willing to suffer for doing what is right and pleasing God], because whoever has suffered in the flesh [being like-minded with Christ] is done with [intentional] sin [having stopped pleasing the world], so that he can no longer spend the rest of his natural life living for human appetites and desires, but [lives] for the will and purpose of God.”
1 Peter 4:1-2 AMP