I was at dinner with some friends a few weeks ago and a story I had told made me think of this scripture. It stayed with me- long after the dinner, so it felt like it was the right Faith Focus to share.
But first, the backstory:
We were talking about dating and past relationships, and one of them asked about a former partner- she wanted to know if I had been happy in the relationship.
And I answered that yes, that even when I was angry or upset with him, I was always happy to come home to him at the end of the day.
This led, of course, to a rabbit hole of what had happened and what the challenges were that had led to us no longer being together. And, as expected with like-minded friends, when I talked about some of the things he had said and done, there were choruses of “Hell NO!” or “I would have responded the same way.”
I was quick to add that I believe he has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which would account for some of his tendencies and behaviors. (And no, I am not a doctor and have no professional training or expertise, though I have a handful of friends on the spectrum, as well as some relatives (of a sort).
However, there are moments that stand out in my memory. Moments that showed glimpses of who he was beneath the brokenness that lies within us all. I told them of a time when I’d had a huge falling out with some members of my family. I relayed that he had gone to the ‘family meeting’ with me to listen in and understand firsthand the dynamics at play. Due to the (IMHO) ASD, he didn’t fully understand the emotional toll on me from what turned out to be a volatile and verbally abusive meeting, but he knew that despite my outward calm, I was upset by what had transpired with my family and that I was very hurt by how I had been treated by them.
I explained to my friends that later that same evening, we had climbed into bed for the night, where I crawled under the covers, laid my head in his lap and cried, sobbing uncontrollably for what seemed like forever.
He held me close, stroked my hair, and patted me comfortingly. There were no words that would comfort me, so he didn’t even try.
And yet… at some point, when my sobbing has subsided slightly, I heard something- a quiet mumbling sound.
My shaking sobs had stopped, the tears had subsided, but the sound remained- and I realized it was coming from him.
I peeked my tear-streaked face out from under the covers and looked up at him, asking “What are you doing?”
He looked at me earnestly and said, “Praying for you.”
For me, that is how I knew how much I was loved in that moment.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
We don’t always have the solution to makes someone’s situation better, or a way to make the hurt go away. Sometimes, all you can do is BE THERE. But in every situation, every hardship, every circumstance- you can pray for them, and that is a powerful, POWERFUL tool. The most powerful of them all.
