The people around you, need you.
A tiny voice does cry out.
But if you don’t stop to ask them;
‘How are you?’,
And wait for the real answer to that question,
You will never actually know.

People can be so good at just pushing forward and getting on with life; upholding their responsibilities, maintaining their roles and most especially, smiling through it all despite the pain.
Don’t get me wrong, their strength to carry on is admirable, but sometimes, we really ought to make the extra effort to truly be the keeper of our brothers and sisters, and check on them to see how things are going.

Particularly those whom we haven’t heard from in a while, or those whom we know may have suffered a hardship, such as job loss, failure, broken relationship, or even loss of a loved one – we need to be there for them.
We need to be unselfish with our time and either pick up the phone, or even set up a physical date to have a good chit-chat with them, allowing them to release their well-kept and composed emotions!

The bible tells us in Romans 12:15 to rejoice when another rejoices, but also to weep when another weeps.
What we learn here is the ability to empathise with one another, but also, God is highlighting the importance of the fact that He doesn’t ever want anybody to deal with their problems or misfortune, or traumatic events alone.

He wants us right there by their side, using the Jesus in us to carry them through.
Of course God does His work from above too, but remember that we’re His hands and feet on earth? So it’s crucial that we make ourselves available for these people to physically feel Jesus through our care and looking out for them.

Don’t worry, sometimes you may not know what to say in response to what they share with you, and other times, a response may not even be required, but be confident in this; that the spirit of Jesus that lies within you, will be felt by them, and that is what matters most.
They need to be reminded of the love and strength that they can draw from Jesus, as often as possible. So don’t depend on what you can do as an individual, but rather trust that Jesus will do the work in them, to heal them bit by bit.

Ensure you pray before your conversation; that God will take over the entire encounter, and His Spirit of peace and love will fill the atmosphere between you and the brother/sister. Ask Him to direct your speech if any is required and ask that He will restore their faith in His word (if lost at all).

Also  pray for them after, and remember them consistently in prayer; that God will restore their joy, strength and hope, and that they will never feel alone.

Yes the talking is great for their healing process, as they are able to release more and more of that hurt, but our prayers; our intercession on their behalf will also reach the throne of mercy, because in being like Jesus, when our brothers and sisters are weak in their faith, we ought to be strong! Strong in the spirit, to pray for them and speak to God on their behalf to restore their hope, faith and trust in the Lord God Almighty.

I know sometimes we don’t want to approach people when we see them seeming ‘okay’, because we don’t want to take their smile away and remind them of the pain, but isn’t it better to make sure that their smile is really a smile, rather than a mask?

Our brothers and sisters will surely heal, because the stripes (wounds) of Jesus have that power! – (Isaiah 53:5) And the word of God also promises to heal broken hearts in Psalm 147:3.
But we have a part to play in it too; we must make sure that we encourage their hearts to be open to God; not resenting God, and truly receptive of God’s word that says;

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
[Jeremiah 29:11]

Let’s be our siblings’ keepers – they need us.

Keep the Faith, Don’t Stop Believing
God bless you.