Just Sit Down

Just Sit Down

They sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.

One of my dear friends, Christa, told me that when she was a child, she was very attached to her mother. Being the youngest of four children, she spent her days as a young girl with her mom. As kindergarten approached, she was scared. She didn’t want to leave her mom. Each day loomed over her as she dreaded those first few weeks of school.

Once school began, each day would start with Christa sitting in the classroom crying for her mom. On one of the very first days this happened, another little girl grabbed some Kleenex and sat down next to Christa. Every day after that, she would do the same, handing Christa a tissue and sitting with her until she’d finished crying. Christa said that as the first few weeks went on, she began to look forward to seeing her new friend at school. Her comfort increased and her loneliness decreased because of another little girl who noticed her sadness and decided to offer her comfort. Christa said that she is still good friends with that woman today.

As Christa told me her story, it reminded me of Job’s friends in the Bible. They may have said things to him that they shouldn’t have, but when they first came to Job, they wept with him and sat with him in his suffering for seven days. Sometimes we think that we need to have the perfect words to say to someone who is going through a hard time, and if we don’t know what to say, we’ll simply avoid the person or situation. In reality, just being willing to be present with someone is often enough. I love how Christa’s friend could understand this truth, even as a child. It’s simple but profound to the person who is hurting, when we are willing to sit down.

— Kendra

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

Spend time with a friend who is going through a hard season of life.