30 Days of Gratitude: Day 17

Watching someone you love heal and grow

When God created man, he realized man should not be alone. We are meant to be a communal people.

As a pastor and spiritual caregiver, I have had the privilege of walking with folks on difficult journeys, whether it be loss of a loved one, addiction, job loss, personal and familial issues, etc. There is something so inspiring to watch someone grow and heal.

Everyone is bound to go through darkness. Each of us can pinpoint times in our lives when we had to take a long journey along a difficult road. Each one of us can probably identify with what it feels like to come out the other side. The feeling of watching someone else heal is nothing like I have experienced before.

I have worked with individuals who have described themselves as equal to the ring left behind in a bathtub. These folks who hit their version of rock bottom have nowhere else to go. In fact, they feel like they are at the bottom of a well with no way out. To come alongside them, to climb into the well and sit in the pit; it doesn't mean I take the problem away. It doesn't mean I solved the problem. It doesn't mean I give them the solution. It means I offer a resource and a sense of encouragement. It means I stay with them until they can look up and see the hope. It means I journey with them, getting dirty as they work on themselves, relearning what loving themselves and accepting the love of Christ for them looks like. As they learn and grow, it is like watching a dead battery charged and come to life with new energy.

Watching someone heal and grow gives me a different type of hope when I look at the world at large. Life isn't about winning and losing. The journey to the destination is more important. We learn just as much about life by walking with someone and watching them learn, grow, and heal as we do when we are going through it ourselves.