An Understanding Heart

As  I sit here in the solitude and quiet of my office I have a few minutes to reflect before all the cares and worries of the day invade my consciousness. The last few weeks  have been filled with quiet revelations from God. No, not revelations of scripture or his divine will, but revelations into the lives of my friends and loved ones.

Almost daily over the past few weeks someone I love has shared a hurt or heartache with me. The more I stop and listen, the more I realize a lot of people are hurting. Yesterday, feeling a little overwhelmed by all that is going on in the lives of my friends I almost flippantly posted - "I need to take a day off, just so I can have enough time to pray." What a revelation that turned out to be. One after another friends asked to be added to my prayer list - humbling to say the least.

Getting to peek just beyond the flesh and bone, blood and marrow, my friends have taken off their masks just long enough to say, "hear me, hurt with me, pray for me." In these moments of vulnerability and transparency they have taught me some very important lessons.

1. I need to take my own mask off once in a while. I was taught that men need to remain strong, stand firm, that we need to be up to any task. All too often I quietly bear my burdens alone when there is a world of people who would pray for me, prop me up when I am weak and carry my load when it gets to heavy to bear.
2. I need to hear God's call to minister. I don't know why people gravitate to me with their cares and burdens, but I need to be willing to speak a blessing into their lives. Sometimes I need to speak hard truths into their lives. In either case I need to lean on God's strength and wisdom - seeking discernment as I go.
3. I need to pray daily for a compassionate and understanding heart. I don't have to have all the answers. I know I can't solve everyone's problems, but I can love people through the struggles and hardships of life for "Love covers a multitude of sin" (I Peter 4:8).

So to all my friends who have taught me so much the last few weeks - thank you. Thank you for your transparency. Thank you for trusting me enough to share your burdens. Thank you for reminding me that God has called me to minister.  One last thing - Pray for Me, Pray for Wisdom, Pray that God will always give me a tender and understanding heart.