I don't have a daddy...

I heard a little boy speak those words a few weeks ago.  He was too young to have to feel that burden.  He was too little to feel the weight of being different.  He was too precious to have to wonder why everyone else had a daddy when he didn't.  His situation wasn't his fault, but he was hurting.

As I watched his little face, I could almost feel that weight.  Almost...

When someone is hurting we can only feel so much of it.  And too often I miss it altogether.  I miss their pain because their arrogance annoys me, their gossip disturbs my daily routine or their hurtful words anger me.  In actuality, all of those things come from a hurting soul.  Their situation may be their fault, but they are still hurting.  They are not much different than that little boy.

Regardless of whether it's self-inflicted or not, pain is still pain.  Be patient with the hurting because you have no idea how big the burden is that they are carrying.  The closest you can get is "almost."  And almost isn't good enough.