Help Those Who Are Hurting

There is a lovely Joyce Meyer Ministries calendar on the wall above my desk and May’s message is Help Those Who Are Hurting.

I’ve been digesting this message each day as I sit down to conduct my work and routine household obligations such as paying bills. It, of course, is somewhat intended to inspire me to dig a little deeper in my charity well to help support worldwide efforts.

It’s certainly easy to see that there are many in the world in great need. The recent deadly storms in the United States find disaster very close to our homes, and people who are in great need.

This message also has struck a chord with me on a more personal level as I apply it daily situations. While many of us are thankfully not suffering from natural disasters or extreme conditions, many are still suffering- and still greatly in need of help daily- physically, financially, emotionally, or spiritually.

Help Those Who Are Hurting.

It’s easy to give money or things, when we are able to… but how often do we as freely give our time, thoughts, talents, compassion, and empathy to others? If you are like me, the answer is probably “not often enough.” Particularly when it comes to our own personal hurt. Or sometimes, when dealing with others we may not necessarily – well as kind as I’d like to make it sound, the truth is we may not necessarily always like or respect the person/group that is hurting. In these situations, it is sometimes easier to ignore or to be blinded to the hurt the person is experiencing.

For example: For a long time I had a lack of compassion for a particular person I occasionally work with due to their questionable behavior, seeming lack of ethics, and self-centric attitude. This is a difficult personality type for me to deal with as I’m generally on the opposite of this personality spectrum.

It took me awhile to see things from the other side of the equation. To understand that while some of this person’s behavior was inherent, a good deal of it stemmed from hurt or perceived inadequacies. When I opened my heart to a compassionate view, I realized what a precarious situation this person was in and some of the struggles they dealt with that were systemic from their behavior: lack of support from their spouse, tenuous working relationships, disgruntled employees, less than ideal outcomes on endeavors.

When I allowed the message of Help Those Who Are Hurting to help me see this person as more than a sum of their “bad” behavior, but as a person who functioned from a place of hurt and fear, it made it easier to pick out focus on compassion, to better help this person, rather than struggling against perceived flaws.

Now, I know I cannot change this person nor have a profound impact on their life as my time with them is sporadic, but when I work with this person, I can make a point to build them up- to compliment and reinforce their positive behaviors, to offer solutions when possible, and to approach them in a more friendly manner and collaborative effort without prejudice—ultimately, to do the best I can to help in some way to heal their hurt.

And so, with a nod of thanks to Joyce Meyer Ministries for their blessed message this May, I’ve decided to keep this message on the forefront of my mind and heart and to attempt to better be of help to those who are hurting.

I hope you’ll join me in effort to take away some “hurt” in the world (including) being good to yourself by healing your personal hurt and asking for help when needed1)

God Bless and best wishes to all for a joy-filled week!