Understand

Understand

Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.

I’D SPENT A LONG WEEKEND AWAY with a group of friends. We left our families at home for some much-needed girl time. Our spirits were high the first night and next day as we ate out at a favorite restaurant, created a spa day in our hotel room, and spent hours catching up on work, kids, and life.

At the start of the second morning, we spent time walking around, window-shopping. As the hours passed, one friend got increasingly quieter. I noticed the change in her mood and gave her some space, wondering what could be wrong.

As we got back to the hotel after lunch, she pulled out her computer and sat on the bed. My initial thoughts swirled around whether I’d said or done something wrong. In the past, this would’ve caused me to avoid any interaction with the person, hoping the uncomfortable moment would just pass on its own.

But this time I pushed past the uncomfortable feeling and decided to address the situation head-on. I quietly entered the room and sat on the edge of the bed. “What’s going on?” I whispered. “Is everything okay?”

She looked up from her computer and immediately burst into tears. She apologized, as the other women entered the room. Her mood shift had nothing to do with us and everything to do with the stress she was feeling at work. As the weekend was coming to an end, the overwhelming work she knew she’d be hit with on Monday loomed large, casting a shadow on the last part of our time together. We listened to her and affirmed her feelings. I left the conversation being reminded of how important it is to seek to understand another, not just assume.

Sometimes our own insecurities can get in the way of our simply just seeking to understand another person’s thoughts and feelings. When we get too caught up in ourselves, we’ll fail to really see or respond to another person’s needs. As followers of Jesus, we want to live a life filled with love, and one of the ways that we do this is to stop, listen, and seek to understand what someone else may be going through.

Lord, help me to really listen and understand another person’s struggle today. Amen.

-Kendra

One Good Step: Take time to listen and understand what someone else is going through today.