When I first got married, it did not take long for me to figure out that I was a “fixer.”  I always needed to fix everything.  If there was a conflict, or a disagreement, or even a bad day, I always felt like it was my job to solve the problem.  One day, my wife came home and was having a very unfortunate  series of events happen, and after I opened my mouth, she corrected me with words similar to this, “Stop!  You do not need to fix this.  Not everything needs to be fixed.  I need you to be with me in it.  Relationships are not about fixing every problem, it is about being together in life’s most difficult and painful moments.”  Of course some of this was said out of frustration, but there is so much truth to this knowledge that I continue to work at.

It does not require a certified counselor or therapist or pastor to be needed to listen in this way.  It is required of everyone at some point in time, and the more I thought of this concept, the more I related it to the ministry we can do as humans on earth.  Sometimes the most powerful message we can send someone is the power of comfort, and caring ears.  During a prayer meeting devotional I was leading one day, someone said something I will never forget.  He said that looking back at his wives funeral and many house visits earlier that year, the only thing he remembers anyone saying was someone who approached him and hugged him and simply said, “I care.”  Isn’t that what we long for when we are hurting the most?  We want someone to care.

We do not just care for people because we want to be the person people come to, or even because we want to know everybody’s problems.  I think too often we are interested in people for the gossip and the reality TV experiences.  We care for people because Jesus cares for us.  Jesus approaches us.  Jesus feeds us.  Jesus heals us.  Jesus gets on his knees and washes off our filthy feet.  Jesus suffers for us.  Let us turn to 1 Peter 5:6-7:

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

On a much lighter note, I cannot talk about Jesus being my friend without this song.  I hope it brings a smile to you today! Here is the video.