Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. (Romans 12:15, NIV)
If you were to go to Israel today, you could see olive trees dating back to the time of Christ. Some are believed to be the actual trees Jesus may have prayed beneath in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The word Gethsemane means "olive press." This was a place where olives were pressed to make oil. It was also the place where our Savior was pressed to give us life.
At Gethsemane, Jesus said to Peter, James, and John, "Stay here and keep watch with me" (Matthew 26:38). What an honor afforded to these three. He took them into this holy moment of His life and asked them to be there with Him.
Notice that He didn't say, "Stay here and give me a little sermon and explain what's going on." He didn't ask for an explanation of any kind. He simply asked them to be there.
When a person is hurting, when a person is suffering, one of the best things we can do as Christians is to simply be there with them. I think far too often we feel that we always have to have an answer for everything or a little sermon to explain every situation that a person is facing. We don't realize that sometimes the best thing we can do is be there. As the Bible says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn" (Romans 12:15).
When something horrible has happened, some Christians will come along with some pat clichés, while others will say they know how it feels, but maybe they don't. Let's simply try to understand that someone is going through a time of great difficulty.
One of the best things we can do for others in situations like these is to just be there, love them, and pray for them.
In Jesus,
Cap'n Kenny
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