Let Your Pain Draw You Closer to Others

[Let Your Pain Draw You Closer to Others]( Current Teaching Series [A Faith That Works When Life Doesn't Part 3]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [Let Your Pain Draw You Closer to Others]( By Rick Warren — 11/28/2020 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 (NLT) Suffering changes you. It can turn you away from self-centeredness and toward caring more about other people in pain. One important way you can use your pain for good is to draw closer to others. If you’re honest about the things that are causing you pain, then it will deepen your love and mature your relationships and sense of community. If you allow yourself to be vulnerable, then it will help you build authentic relationships. There’s a sad statistic that about a third of marriages end up in divorce after the loss of a child. People all grieve differently, and it can drive a couple apart. When our son died, my wife Kay and I decided we were going to use our pain to grow closer together rather than let it drive us apart. We didn’t try to talk each other out of our pain. When Kay was going through a wave of grief, I would simply walk over and put my arm around her or just stand by her and be quiet. There were no words to say. The deeper the pain, the fewer words you use. Our small group came over after Matthew died. They said, “We’re spending the night at your house. We’re not going to leave you here alone. We’re going to be with you.” They didn’t try to give us any words of wisdom. They just gave us the ministry of presence. They slept on our couches and on the floor. I’ll never forget how it held us up. The Bible says, “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 NLT). You don’t have to try to cheer people up when they’re grieving. Instead, try to enter into their grief and feel it with them. Sharing in someone’s pain leads to building fellowship, becoming closer to other people, and strengthening relationships. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - Why do you think people often need your presence more than your words of wisdom when they are in pain? - How has suffering changed your relationships? How has it drawn you closer to or pushed you further away from people? - Why is it sometimes easier to close yourself off when you are grieving rather than to make yourself vulnerable in your relationships? The post [Let Your Pain Draw You Closer to Others]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( [Get The Purpose of Christmas when you give a gift to support Daily Hope]( No matter what challenges you’ve faced this year, you can rejoice this holiday season in the peace made possible through the birth of Jesus. That’s why we hope you’ll request your copy of Pastor Rick’s book, The Purpose of Christmas. This inspirational book shows you why you can be certain that God is still in control, even when the times we live in seem so uncertain. You’ll discover how you can: • Identify and confront what drains peace from your life• Live with an unshakeable faith—knowing God guides you through life’s challenges • Celebrate the significance and promise of Christmas • Experience peace in your life because God gave us the greatest gift of all, Jesus! [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 8 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series Re-Thinking Your Life. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: A Faith That Keeps Me from Playing God in the Lives of Others Message 2: A Faith for Facing an Uncertain Future Message 3: A Faith that Reduces Quarreling Message 4: A Faith that Doesn't Hold On to Hurt [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( As the founding pastor of Saddleback Church with his wife Kay, Dr. Rick Warren leads a 30,000-member congregation in California with campuses in major cities around the world. As an author, his book [The Purpose Driven Life]( is one of the best-selling nonfiction books in publishing history. It has been translated into 74 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the century. Rick also founded [The PEACE Plan]( to address five global issues—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. 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