Someone you know is having a hard week. You have thought about ringing them, but one fear keeps stopping you: “I don’t know what to say”.
So, you wait. Another day passes. The silence may begin to look like a lack of care, even though it began with fear.
Romans 12:15 gives us a simpler way: “Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep”. Paul does not tell us to explain another person’s pain. He does not ask us to fix it. He asks us to enter it with them.
Job’s friends understood this at first. When they saw the depth of his suffering, they sat on the ground beside him for seven days. They did not speak because his grief was too great for words. Their later advice caused harm, but their first response was full of care. They came. They sat down. They stayed.
We often speak because silence makes us feel helpless. Yet the person before us may not need an answer. They may need someone who will not rush away when grief feels awkward or heavy.
This is especially true months after a loss. At first, cards arrive, friends call, and people offer help. Then most lives return to normal. The grieving person’s life does not. Late grief can feel very lonely.
Think of one person who may need your presence today. Send a simple message: “I’m thinking of you. You don’t need to reply”. Offer a coffee, make a call, or sit beside them without trying to improve the moment.
Weeping with those who weep is not about finding perfect words. It is a decision to stay.
Watch the five-minute devotional here: