No exercise is better for the heart than reaching down and lifting someone up. And no comfort is greater than being met with love instead of quick fixes. When Jesus was dying, He didn’t tell His mother, “It’ll be okay,” or “God has a plan.” He didn’t try to take away her pain with words. He simply saw her. He acknowledged her sorrow. He knew nothing could fix the deep ache of losing a child, so He did what He could—He made sure she wouldn’t be alone.
Too often, when someone is hurting, we need to say something to improve it. We toss out phrases like, “Everything happens for a reason” or “One day, this will make sense.” But some pain doesn’t make sense. Some losses don’t have a silver lining. Some wounds stay raw no matter how much time passes.
In church, we celebrate that Jesus wins. And yes, He absolutely does. But that doesn’t mean we won’t suffer here and now. Some people get sick and don’t recover. Some families fall apart. Some struggles last a lifetime. And some of us bury our children. Faith doesn’t erase suffering, and it doesn’t mean every story here on earth has a happy ending.
So, what do we do when we or someone we love is drowning in grief? First, we acknowledge it. We don’t rush to fix it. We don’t try to make it sound better than it is. We just sit with it. 
Then, we show up in authentic ways. We bring a meal, send a text, offer a hug. We don’t wait for the perfect thing to say—we simply let people know we care. And most importantly, we keep showing up, even after the rest of the world has moved on. Because there is no greater gift than a friend who doesn’t run away from grief. A friend who stays. A friend who walks beside us when life feels unbearable.
This is what Jesus did. He didn’t avoid suffering—He stepped right into it. He carried it. And because of Him, we don’t grieve without hope. Life here is messy, but our story isn’t over yet.
“The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.” – 1 Corinthians 1:18