Let Your Friends Carry You through Hard Times By Rick Warren
“By helping each other with your troubles, you truly obey the law of Christ.”Galatians 6:2 (NCV)
When you go through major disappointments in life, it’s natural to want to pull back and isolate yourself. You might even want to keep your losses, failures, mistakes, and crises a secret—to withdraw and handle it all yourself. But this is a terrible idea!
When you go through disappointment, that’s when you need your friends the most. God doesn’t intend for you to handle pain and stress by yourself. It’s healthiest to accept help from others.
We were wired for each other. We need each other. We’re relational beings. The Living Bible paraphrase records one of the first things God said in the Garden of Eden: “It isn’t good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). We’re made to be in relationships.
And The Message paraphrase says, “When desperate people give up on God Almighty, their friends, at least, should stick with them” (Job 6:14).
There may be times in your life when the pain is so deep that you say, “I don’t even believe in God right now!” That’s when you need to have friends who come alongside you and encourage you in your faith.
You might even say, “I don’t have any faith left. I’m full of doubt.” That’s when you need your friends to step in and say, “That’s okay. We’ll believe for you. We’ll trust God for you in this.”
The Bible says, “By helping each other with your troubles, you truly obey the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 NCV). What is the law of Christ? It’s this: Love your neighbor as yourself. The Bible commands us to help each other. So every time you help somebody who’s going through pain, you are fulfilling the law of Christ.
Trying to handle trouble by yourself will only make you more tired and stressed. You need to accept the help of others and let your friends carry you through it, knowing that God is with you all the way. He is at work in your circumstances, even when you can’t see what he’s doing.
Rick Warren is an innovative pastor, renowned author, and global influencer known for founding Saddleback Church, the Purpose Driven Network, the PEACE Plan, and Hope for Mental Health. He has written several best-selling books, including The Purpose Driven Life, which has sold over 35 million copies in 200 languages. Time magazine named Warren the most influential spiritual leader in America and one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Since stepping down from the lead pastor role at Saddleback in 2022, Warren has continued to inspire people through his Daily Hope Devotional and podcast Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope. His first book in a decade, Created to Dream, was released in April 2023.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
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