Hurtful Ways to “Help” the Hurting
Don't Try to Fix It
There are many ways people genuinely try to help the hurting that are actually, in the end, harmful. One thing that comes to mind is, we try to be the "fix it" person. But the truth is, no one wants another treatment, ointment, acupuncture reference or a diet that is 100% guaranteed to heal them. When you tell someone you’re certain that your remedy or recipe will heal them, you may, in fact, be highlighting that you actually have no idea what kind of issues they’re dealing with.
Be There, Listen, and Learn
It’s possible God could miraculously heal me through a smelling salt or tea, but that’s not normally the prescription for nerves that are mangled and don’t work. The truth is, struggling people have probably already seen numerous doctors and undergone different treatments. We want to help but honestly one of the best things you can do is just be there for them. Listen. Sit and comfort them with a ministry of presence. Instead of giving them guaranteed solutions, maybe you could ask them specific questions to learn more about what they’re going through. Sometimes the best thing you could do is ask, "I’m sorry, can you help me better understand what you’re going through?" and then just listen.
