Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

 

“I have absolutely no advice for you.” When was the last time you heard that from a friend?

So often, we think that when a friend shares their woes with us, they need us to help them problem solve!  Maybe we feel uncomfortable with their emotion if we think we can’t fix things.

Kathy and Yna had finished a long walk on a sunny Saturday morning with a cup of coffee.  They had talked the entire hour and a half.  “Wow,” Kathy said, “I feel so much lighter!  Thank you for listening to everything I’ve got going on in my life right now.” Yna had simply listened…and shared her own list of current difficulties and dilemmas. She said she felt filled back up again.

You may think that women are better at this talking stuff, but Scott surprised a friend with some communication brilliance; after listening to a long recital of problems by his friend, he simply responded by saying, “I have absolutely no advice for you but I’m here to listen!”

These friends were demonstrating an important spiritual principle found in scripture. The Bible book of 1 Thessalonians says, “…encourage one another and build each other up…” (I Thessalonians 5:11) and the book of Galatians says, “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). The law of Christ differs from all other codes of religious law because His law is the law of love. When we love each other enough to enter into each other’s realities by taking the time to listen we are living in the Jesus way.

Beyond just listening– we can pray with a friend right on the spot! Loving each other takes some time…and a little listening.