No. Stop. Don’t Apologize.

Last summer while we were on furlough I became acutely aware of different people (our friends, our family, perhaps you) who were in pain.  Perhaps this pain was emotional, physical, spiritual or the weighty concern for their/your child.  It took on many faces and fleshed out in human suffering.   Yet people held back from sharing because they implied later that they thought our suffering, our pain, our sacrifice was greater.  So what was their/your story compared to ours?

I literally grabbed humanity by the shoulders last summer and quietly (though I wanted to scream) said, “NO!”  Your suffering, your pain, your walk, your sacrifice is just as meaningful and just as important.  Stepping on a plane and relocating our family to the other side of the planet does not mean that our stories are more special, that we deserve the floor, that your life pales in place of ours.  Though thank you for the honor and the respect.

So yes, life here is challenging.  Have bad things happened?  You bet!  Do we struggle in day to day things that you don’t even have to give thought to?  For sure.  This by NO MEANS minimizes what you are dealing with.  Thank you for sharing (with some encouragement) your stories.  Your suffering.  The autistic child, the crumbling marriage, the anxiety filled spouse, the gay child, the physical pain, the worry and concern, the spiritual growth and break through, the death of a spouse, and so many more stories.

Don’t apologize.  Keep writing.  Keep sharing.  We have to be real with each other.  And when you share we feel connected to you.  We know how to pray for you.   You were not meant to bear your burdens alone.   Nor your victories.  Don’t cover your mouth and say you are sorry anymore.  Nor minimize your trial by saying that our trial is more significant.  It is one time that truly no apology is needed.