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Several years ago, I had the privilege of hearing Gloria Gaither when she came here to Pensacola. When she was introducing her friends that had come with her, she said that one of her friends had a son that had just died the week before they came here. She asked us to please not tell her friend that we knew how she felt. She said that her friend needed time to grieve and that everyone needed to be allowed to grieve for as long as necessary for that person.
These verses appear to be contradictory. However, while we are to bear one another’s burdens, each of us has to bear our own burden. Our loved ones and friends may encourage us, hug us and love us, but it is our loved one that has died so it is unique to us. The wonderful thing about bearing our own burden is that we can take it to Jesus and He will comfort us with His loving compassion and tenderness.
Only Jesus can see into our hearts and feel the depths of our pain and anguish. Only Jesus can kiss away the tears in our hearts. Only Jesus understands how we are hurting so badly. He will be faithful to encourage and comfort us.
I have been guilty of saying to people when they have told me a heartache they have “I can relate to that because I have been there”. It’s true that I was depressed for many years, but every person needs to be recognized that his or her grief is important. We shouldn’t make light of the situation. Above all, we shouldn’t tell someone “Just get on with your life”.