What a Mess!

Reuben’s voice rang out without warning. No one addressed him, and no one asked. He just started telling us men in the circle about what was going on in his life.

Reuben mentioned his divorce and how it had been a three-year struggle. He talked about his job and how they demanded more out of him.  Then, he spoke of his new apartment and how much stuff he needed.

He mentioned his son and daughter, informing us that that very evening, his son was in a rollover accident but was okay. Reuben talked about all of the bad things that had happened to his daughter as well. And then he started divulging his finances and what little he had. He also told us that his income tax refund was nine weeks overdue, and that there were problems with it, and now the IRS wanted to verify it was really him.

I started noticing a pattern. Every time one of the men tried to suggest something that would help him, Reuben would find a way to dismiss it or say why it wouldn’t work. When another one asked him what he specifically needed for his apartment, he would only list what items he had.

It was about then that I realized that Reuben was experiencing a lot of pain, and the only item he actually needed was to be heard. He wanted someone to care about what he was going through. I glanced over while the group was praying for him, and he was wiping tears. The saddest part of this whole story is that Reuben doesn’t seem to realize that, as a child of God, life doesn’t have to be this way. He doesn’t know that Satan is the one who is keeping him down by stirring up “drama” and “chaos” in his life. Reuben should know that with God, he can take control over his life in the name of Jesus Christ. He just needs to do it and believe it, and then walk it out.

There are hurting people all around us. Not all of them start leaking pain, like Reuben in our group, but if you take the time to dig a little, you may discover they are hurting and need to be heard. The great thing is you don’t even have to know what to say because most of the time they simply want someone to listen and know.

Proverbs 18:13 — “To answer before listening—that is folly and shame.”2 Corinthians 1:3–4 — God comforts us so we can comfort others.

God is listening and He knows how to help the broken-hearted.

John 16:33 — “In this world you will have trouble… but take heart!”