Reflection: Have you ever felt that heavy sinking thud in your chest when you wake up? I know I have. I remember when I first moved to Melbourne in 2020 during the pandemic, I would begin to feel each day my hope for a bright new future fade. I remember video chatting with my friends and sharing my troubles and, although well-intentioned, they would snap into fix-it mode and provide solutions to all my problems.
The Scripture for today talks about kindness, not advice. Maybe you’re thinking that they’re the same thing? Well, you wouldn’t be the only one. In fact, most of us feel compelled to fix the problem by offering words of advice. It almost feels like a wasted opportunity or an act of cruelty to simply let someone who is weighed down stay that way.
But what if there was a better way to use our words?
What if, the next time we choose to speak words of kindness instead of advice? To say instead “that sounds hard, I’m so sorry” or “you are carrying so much weight, can I pray for you?”
Perhaps you will find that kindness is a far greater way to cheer up the anxious.
Prayer: Jesus, thank you that you listen with kindness. Help me to follow in your example and to learn to listen to those who need a friend; and to only offer advice when invited or when the time is right. Help me to release the pressure to fix things – after all, you are God, and not me. Amen.