Not Great For All

As great as my weekend was I am saddened that some very close friends had a weekend that went just the opposite. Amidst personal struggles and consequences of personal choices and even some spiritual warfare my friends have been looking for answers. Some are looking to God but others are looking to things of this world. As I talk with them about the issues in their life I feel helpless to know what to say or do. This has been the biggest problem for me lately, effective communication. How do you put into words how much God loves His children? How do you tell the person who thinks that God is punishing them that no He really is right there helping her through. How do you tell a loved one that the choice they are about to make will never go away, can never be changed, and will haunt them for the rest of their life?
My practical nature gets the best of me when I listen to the problems of those that I love. I want to solve it for them so that they are not hurting anymore. I forget that they need to work through it with God's help and mine is insufficient. That is not to say that we don't need to support our brothers and sisters in Christ but we do need to realize that we mortals are limited to how we can help. Sometimes the greatest thing we can do for someone is to listen to them, pray for them(and with them), and give them a shoulder to cry on or a box of tissues.
The testing and refining of our hearts is never pleasant but drawing closer to God through it is immeasurable.