And what I learned was what Fred Schmidt tells us in this book. Words were usually unhelpful. But my presence alongside the suffering and the dying was immeasurably important.
By all means, tell the suffering that God loves them. But don't just tell them; model that love. Show that love through your faithful presence. The God who created us, who loves us, will not let us down, but any words we can offer in explanation of that love are ultimately insufficient.
Only the example of a love that accompanies another through the valley of the shadow has ultimate worth.
To read an excerpt from The Dave Test, visit the Patheos Book Club here.
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