Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.
 – Isaiah 43:18-19

The Caregiving: Space for Grace Support group that I lead here at FUMC Hurst, offers a perspective that makes me mindful of the pain we all deal with at some time in our lives. The pain might be physical, or it could be the emotional pain of loss. It could be pain born out of the frustrations of an unfulfilled life’s dream, or it could be the pain of watching a loved one suffer.

We all live with something that is difficult for us to bear. At times, the burden of whatever we carry is more than we might recognize. I sometimes find that my burden(s) can lead me to live in an emotional fog of sorts, without my being aware of it. My own pain and frustrations have become my focus.

I know bits and pieces of the burdens others carry. I try to be mindful of, prayerful for and supportive of them as they struggle. In spite of my conscious desire to share their burdens, my humanity predisposes me to a focus on self. It takes a conscious effort on my part, and God’s Grace through Jesus Christ, for me to remember to begin again (and over again) to reach out (and around myself) and see the pain that God’s people live with every day.

As strange as it may seem, when I take the time to feel the pain of those around me, and reach for their hand, the light begins to be visible to me once again. And I forget about my own pain.