Sour Encouragement
A few months ago, I saw a social media post that concerned me. So, me being me, I messaged the friend who posted it. I referred to the post and asked if everything was okay. My friend quickly confided in me, telling me that her husband had done something incredibly hurtful and had damaged their relationship to its core. I was heartbroken for her. As we chatted, she offered details and talked about the hurt, a hurt she hadn’t shared with anyone until I asked. I offered an empathetic shoulder for her to lean against, proverbially, seeing as how we were hundreds of miles apart. Truth be told, it was a heart wrenching experience, especially since I’d known her husband my entire life, or so I thought. I wanted to offer her some encouragement, but shock and devastation left me speechless. All I could really manage was to tell her I would be praying for her. As the days and weeks went on, I checked in on my friend. I asked how she was doing, but generally did not ask about the situation...