Carry Them Until They Can Walk Again by stella ashworth
The Heart of Biblical Love in a Hurting World
Losing a loved one is never easy. Whether it is a parent, a spouse, a child, a brother, a sister, or a dear friend, the pain of loss touches every one of us. Grief is real, and even our Lord Jesus Christ understood it.
When Lazarus died, Jesus wept (John 11:35). Yet those tears were not the end of the story. Jesus declared, "I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in Me, though he may die, yet shall he live" (John 11:25).
While others saw death, Jesus saw victory. While others saw an ending, He saw eternity. Christ came to bind up the brokenhearted, comfort those who mourn, and bring hope to those who feel overwhelmed by sorrow.
He promised that one day He will return, and there will be no more death, no more mourning, no more crying, and no more pain. He Himself will wipe every tear from our eyes (Revelation 21:4).
Until that glorious day, God has given us a simple yet profound calling: love one another. Encourage one another. Carry one another's burdens. Walk alongside those who are hurting.
We may not be able to take away someone's pain, but we can help carry them through their darkest moments.
When someone is hungry, feed them. When someone is lonely, sit with them. When someone is discouraged, speak life into them. When someone stumbles under the weight of grief, help them stand again.
We do not always need the perfect words, sometimes our presence is the greatest gift we can offer. Too often we remind people of their wounds instead of pointing them to the One who heals them.
Jesus did not come to keep people imprisoned in their pain. He came to set captives free. As Scripture declares, "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed" (John 8:36).
As followers of Christ, our role is not to keep people reliving yesterday's hurts. Our role is to help them overcome through the power of Christ. And when they struggle, when grief overwhelms them, and when they take a step backward, we do not abandon them. We reach out. We lift them up. We carry them until they can walk again.
This is what love looks like. Jesus never asked us to complicate His message. He simply told us to love God and love one another. If we truly understood what it means to love as Christ loves, we would spend less time judging, criticizing, and reminding people of their past, and more time encouraging, restoring, and walking beside them.
The world does not need more condemnation. It needs more people willing to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
So let us be a light in someone's darkness. Let us point people to Christ, not merely with our words, but with our actions. Let us carry one another's burdens, encourage one another daily, and remind one another that because Christ lives, hope lives also.
And until the day He returns, may we love others the same way He first loved us.
Stella Ashworth - Bay Talk.