7 Uplifting Ways to Share Jesus’ Love When the World Feels Heavy

In our noisy and distracted culture, listening has become rare. We’re often quick to share our own opinions or try to fix someone’s problem, but what many people need most is just to be heard. James 1:19 advises us: “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” Listening well involves setting aside our agendas and giving people the gift of our full attention when they’re talking to us. Jesus often stopped to listen. When the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years touched Jesus’ cloak, he could have kept walking. But instead, Jesus stopped and asked: “Who touched me?” (Luke 8:45). Jesus wanted her to share her story. He wanted her to know she was seen and valued. We can follow Jesus’ example by putting down our phones, looking people in the eye, and giving them the space to share their real thoughts and feelings with us. We can share Christ’s love by hearing a grieving friend, letting a teenager talk without judgment, or patiently listening to a coworker’s struggles without rushing to advice. When we listen with compassion, we let people know that their lives matter to us and to God, who we represent. So many people feel overlooked. Giving them the gift of listening is valuable. 

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Prayer is one of the most powerful gifts we can give to someone who’s hurting. When we pray for a person in pain, we can help them notice God’s presence with them. James 5:16 encourages us: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” When someone shares a burden, it’s easy to respond by quickly saying you’ll pray for him or her, and then move on. But a more thoughtful way to respond is to pause and pray right then and there. Don’t hesitate to pray with a friend on a walk, with a coworker before a challenging meeting, or with anyone else at the time they share a concern with you. Even brief prayers remind people that God cares about them and wants to help them with their struggles. Of course, it’s also important to remember people in our personal prayer times. Keeping a prayer list in a notebook or on our phone can help us follow through. Then we can check back later to let people know we’ve been praying for them and to ask them for any updates on the situations they’ve shared with us. Jesus prayed a lot for people! He prayed for his disciples (Luke 22:32), for all believers (John 17), and even for those who crucified him (Luke 23:34). When we follow Jesus’ example, we can make prayer a regular part of our lifestyle and help bring real healing and hope to people in pain.

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Our fallen world often teaches us to hold grudges, to seek revenge, or to cut people off when they hurt us. But Jesus calls us to give people forgiveness and grace, like he has given us. Ephesians 4:32 urges us: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” We don’t have to excuse or forget the ways people have hurt us. But Jesus does expect us to release our bitterness and trust him to bring justice out of situations where we’ve been wronged. Forgiveness is rarely easy. Sometimes it’s a process we walk through again and again as we choose to let go of resentment day by day. But as we keep making the choice to forgive the people who have hurt us, Jesus will empower us to do so. In the process, Jesus will also help us heal and move forward well. Jesus will also help us relate to difficult people in ways that reflect his grace and mercy. All we have to do is stay connected to Jesus in prayer, asking him to help us as we try to give people forgiveness, grace, and mercy. On the cross, Jesus prayed for the people who wanted to kill him: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Jesus has unlimited love that will help us forgive and be graceful and merciful, as well. 

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Loneliness is one of the greatest pains in our world today. Many people feel invisible, rejected, or forgotten. But Jesus calls us to notice and welcome them. Romans 15:7 urges us: “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” Jesus regularly reached out to those who were overlooked, such as sick people, widows, tax collectors, and children dismissed by adults. We can follow Jesus’ example by welcoming people who seem lonely anytime and anywhere we have opportunities to do so. At church, we can notice someone sitting alone and invite him or her to join us. At work, we can invite a colleague who seems left out of conversations to share his or her ideas. In our neighborhoods, we can visit elderly neighbors and listen to their stories. These thoughtful gestures are powerful because they show people God’s love in action. When people experience God’s love flowing from our lives into their lives, they can find relief from their pain and the confidence that they matter. 

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When people are hurting, it’s important for us to try to give them practical help if we can. Jesus reminded us of the importance of meeting people’s practical needs in Matthew 25:35-40, where he describes various ways of helping people in need and concludes by saying in verse 40: “…‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” One simple yet significant way we can offer people practical help is by doing something to make sure their needs for food are met. We can bring a meal to a family with a newborn or to a friend who’s recovering from surgery. We can volunteer regularly at a community food bank, or even invite someone who lives alone to share Sunday dinner with us. Beyond helping people meet their basic needs for food, we can help in a huge variety of other ways, as God leads us to opportunities to do so. Acts 2:44-45 describes how the early believers tried to help each other with all of their needs: “All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” When we offer people practical help, we show them that God’s love is real, because they can see it in action in ways that make a real positive difference in their lives. 

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Words have tremendous power! They can either hurt or help people. Proverbs 18:21 reminds us that: “The tongue has the power of life and death.” In our fallen world, where people often choose negative words, encouraging one another through our words can do a lot to show people Christ’s love. Encouragement involves reminding people of God’s faithful love and truth when they need a fresh dose of hope. We can encourage people in pain by speaking encouraging words in our conversations, as well as writing encouraging words in texts, emails, or cards. We can share encouragement directly from God’s Word, as well, by pointing out Bible verses that relate to the situations that people are going through. The Bible urges us in 1 Thessalonians 5:11: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” Jesus encouraged his disciples. When they were terrified during a storm, Jesus told them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (Matthew 14:27). Our words can also remind hurting people that Christ’s love is there for them. 

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Finally, serving people with humility can open doors for Christ’s love to flow from our lives into their lives. Being humble shows spiritual strength at work. When Jesus washed his disciples’ feet in John 13, he showed that humbly serving others is the way to true greatness in God’s kingdom. Jesus tells them in John 13:14: “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.” Serving with humility involves putting other people’s needs ahead of our own. We can do so by volunteering at a community organization, helping with behind-the-scenes tasks at church, or doing extra chores at home without complaining. It’s important to serve with the pure motives of just showing people Christ’s love, without expecting anything in return. Philippians 2:3-4 reminds us: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” When we serve like this, we reflect how Jesus served people with humility during his life on earth. As Jesus says in Mark 10:45: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Service with humility points people to Jesus instead of to us, which helps them find hope!

In conclusion, our fallen world is full of pain, but we can point people to hope by showing them Christ’s love. Jesus calls us to share his love whenever we have opportunities to do so. Every thoughtful gesture we do faithfully as we try to share Christ’s love matters. Jesus will use all of our faithful efforts to reach out to hurting people with his love!

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