How To Be A Friend

I've often found myself questioning how to be a friend to someone who's grieving. Being a friend during the sunny times is easy. During the storms it's complicated. Millions of questions swirl and it's easier to focus on why this happened or what God's purpose is for this event rather than focusing on our grieving friend. Yet this seldom helps our friend.

"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.

"The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares."

~ Henri Nouwen, Out of Solitude