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One of the most agonizing and painful things for me is having to watch people I care about go through tough times. I hate not being able to fix a problem or provide an answer, or simply comfort someone going through pain. It’s just no fun.

These past two weeks in North Carolina have been incredible. But, in the midst of all my awesome new experiences, people I love a lot back home are going through some terrible and discouraging stuff. I’m having to learn to invest and comfort from afar.

In all of the hard conversations I have had the past few weeks with my hurting friends, I’ve wanted to give advice and provide solutions, but the words wouldn’t come. I couldn’t understand why because words are my forte. I love conversation.

This morning, Jesus led me to some of His parables in Mark. They were great and all, but they didn’t really stand out to me. But, the reason for using the parables did. Jesus would use stories and metaphors to explain incredible truths, but would wait to reveal the meanings to the people who truly believed and had faith in Him.

I know this might sound crazy, but I think Jesus sometimes uses trying and difficult situations as modern-day parables. There are so many simple stories of people who are hurting and lost in life; stories we just don’t understand. But, maybe Jesus just hasn’t revealed the deeper meaning behind it all; the redemption and the come-back.

Our stories change lives. The revelations we learn in our hard times are what connect with people. This is what I pray for my friends back home: that they rest in the fact humans go through bad things that don’t make sense, but God takes those things and reveals their meaning in time.

I pray they continue to live a full life of a modern-day parable, and that the story God is creating in them now one day connects with another hurting person. A cycle of modern-day parables. A cycle of lives changed for Jesus.

artist: andy grammer