John Gill makes a comment on Job 32:1 that's worth consideration. He
writes, "His three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the
Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, who came to visit and comfort him under his
afflictions; but unawares were led into a controversy with him, …."
How often good intentions turn
into something very wrong.
- We mean to say something cheerful but we say
something hurtful
- We mean to be helpful, but our effort turns out
harmful
- We mean to be a blessing, but the blessing turns
out bad
Very often the person we hope to
comfort is in such pain that they misunderstand our intentions and our comfort
goes bad. At other times their pain causes them to misspeak and we take it
wrong and react and the comfort goes bad.
Much too often the well
intentioned contribute to the pain of a suffering soul when they are led
unawares into a controversy with the suffering.
Here's the thing; I can't imagine
it should ever be considered the suffering soul's responsibility to set this
controversy right. Those who have come to comfort need to be prepared to be
misunderstood and misinterpreted and to forgive and let whatever reactions the
suffering soul has roll off.
Forgive one another.
Marvin
McKenzie
In the
fields
