The Connection Matters
I was sitting in a lecture not long ago behind a friend of mine. The speaker was doing a good job presenting his lesson, when, at one point, he made a remark that was more application than it was information. He was simply trying to speak to how what he was talking about had impacted his own life in a very real way.
As he did that, he further gave a practical remark of how this could help us all live out the principle he was discussing. It was at this point that my friend sitting in front of me, quietly–but enough where I could hear it–uttered a simple “amen.”
After just a second of thinking, I realized that my friend had said that “amen” because he had been through the same type of situation in life that the speaker (whom I only knew by name) had been through and was giving advice about. That comment that, to me, was simply a helpful point of application was a true point of connection for two individuals.
It is a reminder, yes, that people have hurts in their lives. But it is also a reminder that people who have been through similar struggles feel a very real connection. No one has gone through the exact same thing, but two people who have, for example, both lost suddenly lost a job can have a connection that people who have never had that experience simply cannot have.
It is here that the church truly can make a strong impact. But it will take some Christians stepping out of their comfort zone. It is not that we have to say just the “right thing” (whatever that is). It is also that we do not have to say, “I know what you’re going through” (because no one really does). But when someone knows that you, also, have lost your spouse or gone through cancer treatments or have a wayward child, that person will listen to you if you will listen to them.
Whether they say the word or not, they will be thinking “amen” to your advice if you will be loving and wise to give it. And they will be more likely to share the ups and downs of their journey if you will have ears that are open and, maybe, a shoulder to cry on.
In the church, there are plenty of people with pain. Many have walked through deep valleys. Why not use that experience to help someone else walk through one with their faith maybe shaken, but intact?
AUTHOR: Adam Faughn
