[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":92},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fno-one-understands":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fno-one-understands-surround":81},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":11,"columnName":64,"date":65,"description":17,"extension":66,"image":67,"meta":68,"minRead":69,"navigation":70,"path":71,"postType":72,"publication":73,"publicationUrl":67,"seo":74,"stem":75,"topics":76,"__hash__":80},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fno-one-understands.md","No One Understands",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10],"Proverbs","Hebrews",{"type":12,"value":13,"toc":60},"minimark",[14,18,21,24,27,30,33,36,39,42,45,48,51,54,57],[15,16,17],"p",{},"It had been a hard day, and I felt grouchy when I got home from work and slouched into the kitchen. Irritably I opened the refrigerator door. \"Nobody understands,\" I muttered to no one in particular.",[15,19,20],{},"My daughter Melinda was sitting at the table reading the newspaper and snacking on crackers and cheese. \"Actually, you're right,\" she said.",[15,22,23],{},"Surprised, I softened a bit. \"What do you mean, Melinda? Hey, I'm looking for some sympathy here!\"",[15,25,26],{},"\"Dad, most people don't completely understand us. And we don't really know what others are going through, either. That's why we need to give each other lots of grace.\" She popped a cracker into her mouth and went back to reading the news.",[15,28,29],{},"That wasn't what I wanted to hear, but it was true.",[15,31,32],{},"Proverbs 14:10 says, \"Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.\" Some hurts are so complex—and some joys so subtle—that only the person who experiences them can fully appreciate their depth.",[15,34,35],{},"Do we really understand the burdens others carry? Probably not. We admire the football player who wins the Super Bowl, but what about the training he's gone through and the pain he endured after every game? We envy the power and prestige of the presidency, but do we comprehend what's it like for a public figure to have his every move publicized, scrutinized, analyzed, and criticized?",[15,37,38],{},"As a man, I will never comprehend childbirth the same way my wife does. As an American, I've not experienced firsthand the frustration of living under a communist regime. Since I've always enjoyed plenty of food and water, I can only imagine the misery of starvation or prolonged thirst.",[15,40,41],{},"And what about those who suffer with mental illness? Do we really understand the burden they carry? If you've sipped even briefly from the bitter cup of depression, can you imagine feeling hopeless every day?",[15,43,44],{},"Of course, it's simply not true that no one understands. The Lord understands. The Son of God shared our humanity. He endured emotional misery, physical agony, and relational loneliness beyond our comprehension. \"We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need\" (Hebrews 4:15-16).",[15,46,47],{},"Mercy and grace in time of need—that's what everyone longs for. Even if I don't fully understand another's pain, I can point him toward the throne of grace.",[15,49,50],{},"A rugged looking guy with a shaved head lived across the street several years ago. He seemed pleasant enough, but he stayed to himself and I don't remember ever having a conversation with him. He'd get into his truck and leave in the morning, though I never knew where he worked.",[15,52,53],{},"A few weeks went by and I didn't see his truck in the driveway. When I asked about him, my next door neighbor's smile disappeared. \"Didn't you hear?\" he said. \"That guy killed himself. Took a gun and shot himself right in his truck.\"",[15,55,56],{},"I wish I had known what he was going through. I wish I could have intervened.",[15,58,59],{},"I wish I had known his name.",{"title":61,"searchDepth":62,"depth":62,"links":63},"",2,[],"First Look","2006-02-19","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fno-one-understands","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":17},"articles\u002Fno-one-understands",[77,78,79],"Biblical Theology","Perseverance in Suffering","Spiritual Formation","zBAOUFnzNkwzj3Ia33zVQ1qkrETvveTTRw_des4SAXo",[82,87],{"title":83,"path":84,"stem":85,"description":86,"children":-1},"No One Is Useless if He Has a Friend","\u002Farticles\u002Fno-one-is-useless-if-he-has-a-friend","articles\u002Fno-one-is-useless-if-he-has-a-friend","Will you still feel useful in your old age? Before dealing with that question, I want to ask you another one. It's not original with me. In fact, I don't even remember where I first heard this idea, perhaps 20 years ago. Nevertheless, it's a good question for every Christian to ask from time to time: *Do you have a Paul, a Timothy, and a Barnabas?*",{"title":88,"path":89,"stem":90,"description":91,"children":-1},"No Ouchless Answer","\u002Farticles\u002Fno-ouchless-answer","articles\u002Fno-ouchless-answer","A couple of evenings ago, I accidentally touched the wrong key on my computer keyboard and lost some writing projects I've been working on for months. My quick, thoughtless flick of the Delete key was followed by hours of frustration and regret. \"How could I be so careless? Why did this happen? How can I recover what I lost?\" Thankfully, it wasn't a total loss. My friend Bob the computer genius came to the rescue and retrieved many of my files. But for a while, I identified with the witty person who remarked, \"Now I know why they call that computer program 'Windows.' You get so frustrated, you want to throw your computer out one!\"",1790466167549]