The Struggle Is Real: How to Walk With Someone Who Is HurtingSample

The Story of Job

Job’s story was the stuff movies are made of. Really sad movies. Within 24 hours, Job’s children were killed, his possessions were stolen or destroyed, and his business went up in flames (literally). He went from being the richest, most influential member of society to the poorest. If that wasn’t enough, Job also got painful sores all over his body.

In one day, Job lost his family, his stuff, and even his identity. To say he was grieving is an understatement. The Bible says Job’s grief was so great his own friends barely recognized him. The hurt was so heavy Job wished he had never been born (Job 3:1), and he even asked God to kill him (Job 6:8-9).

It can be really hard to know what to say or do when someone you love or care about is going through it. Take Job’s wife, for instance! In Job 2:9, she told her husband to “Curse God and die!” Not exactly the best advice to give someone, but, in fairness, she was struggling too. She couldn’t help Job through his pain because she couldn’t see beyond her grief (remember, this woman just lost all her children).

Walking through darkness with someone can be awkward at best and devastating at worst. None of us want to do or say something that worsens the hurt! So how do we show the love of Jesus to those who are walking through hurt?

It can be easy to text a Bible verse and dip, but God is calling us to connect on a much deeper level. Join us over the next few days as we dive into the story of Job and give you a few practical steps to move forward and share God’s love.

Challenge: Think about a time when you were really struggling or going through a hard season. What are some things you wish your friends would have said or done for you? How can you practice doing that for others?