"Different"

By Kristi Bothur © 2012

"Live with your wives in an understanding way..." 1 Peter 3:7 (NASB)

Boys and girls are different.

Such a basic fact of life, but so easy to forget, especially when we are in a crisis situation and expect those around us not only to understand how we feel, but also to feel the same way. And yet, there is nothing like a crisis to highlight those differences in how we react to stress and life's challenges.

When my husband and I went through a season of loss and illness several years ago, the best advice I got was from a bereavement counselor who told me, "Men and women grieve differently, and that's okay. You need to let each other deal with this in your own way." "This" was the loss of our baby girl in my second trimester of pregnancy, and my way of dealing with it was to cry, to read, to write, and to talk - a lot. Words help me to analyze and make sense of things that don't make sense.

My husband's way was different. He would

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The staff of Glory and Strength have experienced crisis and understand the difficulties and needs of recovery. We seek to offer the hope and encouragement we've been given as 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 tells us, "All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us." 

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How Can I Help?

I have seen my share of crises—divorce, a factory accident that left permanent damage, a fire that gutted the basement of our home, and the sexual abuse of my daughter, to name a few. I understand the emotional, mental and physical fallout. I have been fortunate enough to have had two things that helped me weather hardship: faith in God, and friends.

Unless you are a hermit, I expect you know, or have known, someone who is in crisis and have struggled with the question “How can I help?” We often want to alleviate the pain or fix the situation and that is rarely possible. Sometimes, we avoid a family member or friend because we don’t know what to say or do. Helping isn’t difficult and need not be complicated either.

For ways you can help, read this week's Glory and Strength webzine feature, but first tell us how you've helped a friend in need. Leave your comment below.