I understand what you are saying
Have you ever been in the position of listening to a friend sympathetically and sincerely say to you “I know what you mean, I understand what you are saying, because I’ve been there. It happened to me too.” How very sweet it is to know that there is another person out there who knows exactly how your stomach churns when your crisis happened to you. They understand the rapid heartbeat, the feeling of anger and sense of falling lower than the ground itself, and how your world has suddenly been emptied of any hope, but instead the release of a multiple of toxins invading your body all at once. Your friend experienced it herself. Yes, she has been there and the comfort of those few words become like a penicillin shot to help you walk through the journey.
Isn’t it strange how you can be standing still and trouble seems to creep up on you when you least expect it. But our life’s journey isn’t all about a box of chocolates and being sheltered every minute. Besides, we’d be really obese if it were that way. We learn, it just isn’t that way at all. Do you ask yourself if you learned that last horrendous lesson you just went through? Or, should we call it a life lesion? Actually, lessons or lesions bring a healing we ordinarily wouldn’t have had if we hadn’t walked down that path. Some of those life lessons can be pretty frightening, because they can be life and death decisions. Shockingly true, when we learn them, and accept the truth; like the Bible says “the truth shall set you free.”
There isn’t anyone that isn’t going through something. Some trials are worse than others, is one difference. The other difference is the way the receiver responds in the middle of the trial. This whole response will determine where you will be the integrity of your character and affect the process of your growth.
“I really understand what you are saying, because it happened to me.” When you hear those words, they bring comfort and peace to your soul, and all of a sudden your eyes are no longer on the crisis you are going through, but you begin to have empathy for your friend, because you realize some of her wounds are still there. When two wounds become one, there are that many more good guys in your blood stream to bring about the healing you need.
We need those who care enough to honestly say, “I understand, because I’ve been there.” If we are fortunate to have one friend that can sincerely understand, we do not need a treasure chest of gold or money in the stock market; nor do we need a therapist, a counselor or a psychologist; as none of those people or things understands the measure of pain in your heart. Only another honest heart that will choose to say “I love you” through the words of understanding can help you forgive, help you see clearer and bring a new strength into your life that you did not realize that you had.
