Sometimes we find ourselves at a loss for words when talking to a friend who is seriously ill. We may fear that we utter the wrong words that might hurt him/her. So we just tend to watch the patient lying on the bed in an uncomfortable silence. How can we meet this challenge?
Here are a few Scriptural principles that can inspire us.
BE A GOOD LISTENER
"Every man must be swift about hearing, slow about speaking." -James 1:19
"There is...a time to keep quiet and a time to speak." -Ecclesiastes 3:1,7
BE EMPATHETIC AND CONSIDERATE
"Rejoice with people who rejoice; weep with people who weep." -Romans 12:15
"All things...that you want men to do to you, you also must likewise do to them." -Matthew 7:12
BE UPBUILDING
"The tongue of the wise ones is a healing." -Proverbs 12:18
"Let your utterance be always with graciousness, seasoned with salt." - Colossians 4:6
BE HELPFUL
"Let us love, neither in word nor with the tongue, but in deed and truth." -1 John 3:18
REMAIN CONNECTED
"A true companion is loving all the time. and a brother that is born for when there is distress." -Proverbs 17:17
Meditatively considering the above Scriptures can help us think of ways to make practical applications that can surely benefit both our sick friends and us.
(Based on Watchtower magazine, July 1, 2010, pp.10-13)
