Jeff Ray, former professor at Southwestern Seminary, used to say to his students, “Be kind to everyone because everyone is having a hard time.” He was right. Some burdens are seen. But some of the deepest and most powerful ones aren’t. If we but knew the battles people were fighting, we would be more understanding of them.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, “If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each person’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.” Some people live under the burden of constant and intense pain, some under the fear of recurring cancer, some under the grief of a lost child or mate, some under the anguish of divorce, and some with the disappointments and heartaches of their c...