Day 334 - The Courage to Listen

365 daily emails to help you through the grieving process Grief support groups: Click here to find a GriefShare group near you. If you would like to find a group for a friend or relative, try our Search Page. Want to read ahead or resend a previous daily email? Click Here The Courage to Listen Day 334 Dr. Larry Crabb describes this scenario: "You're sitting next to somebody in church or maybe in a small-group setting. It's coffee break time and the person obviously is distressed. Your initial inclination is 'Let me see if I can't go have coffee with somebody else, because if I stay with this person who is hurting, I won't know what to do. Let me go chat with some buddies and some friends where I feel very adequate.'" He continues, "We tend to underestimate the profound power of listening. We think of that as anemic: 'Well, at least I listened, but what good does that do?' I think the biggest lesson I've learned as a friend or as a husband or as a counselor is this: It isn't what I know or my competence that makes the difference; it's when I find the courage to be there in the presence of God, that's where the difference is found." Be courageous; do not stay where you feel comfortable and safe. Take a chance for someone else today and listen. Listen to God urging you forward and listen attentively to someone who is hurting. When a person sees that you are truly listening, that person feels valued. This validation brings deep healing. "He who answers before listening—that is his folly and his shame" (Proverbs 18:13). God, I feel very inadequate sometimes. Teach me that with You in my life, I am complete, and my presence is needed to help others who are hurting. Amen. Grieving with Hope This GriefShare-based book contains short, topical chapters addressing issues that grieving people face but are often hesitant to mention to others; it gently guides people to determine whether they're grieving in a way that leads to hope and ultimate healing. Look for Grieving with Hope by Samuel Hodges and Kathy Leonard at a local or online bookstore or at griefshare.org/hope. If you would like to recommend these daily emails to a friend, please click here and choose one of the options under Share. For more information about GriefShare, including how to sign up for these daily emails, please click here. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2003-2013 by The Church Initiative, Inc., All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without explicit permission in writing from Church Initiative. You subscribed to this daily email through www.griefshare.org. We value your privacy! We will never give, sell, rent, or otherwise share your email or personal information with any other organization — EVER. To remove this email address from further mailings Click Here while connected to the internet. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755