Years ago, a dear friend of mine, Bill, was battling severe cancer. Despite being in immense pain, he and his wife never stopped loving people and even planting churches. Days before he stepped into Heaven, I drove to Birmingham to see him. I was blown away by how he prioritized encouraging people through the very end—no matter the difficult circumstances he faced.

How and why did Billy do this?

Well, I believe he understood something Jesus modeled for us on the cross—one of the keys to getting through bad days is embracing other people who are hurting even worse. I don’t know about you, but when I’m in pain it can be tough to think about others.

Yet, this is exactly what Jesus did on the cross. In John 19:25-27, we read, Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

Wow! Things weren’t going well in Jesus’ life at this moment… He’s hurting, hanging on the cross in excruciating pain. In fact, He’s literally dying. But instead of focusing on Himself, He looks around to see if anybody else is in pain. He sees His mother. He sees her pain. He sees His best friend, John. He sees His pain. He connects them as spiritual family.

Friend, never forget this: in your time of need, give out! We won’t stay stuck in pain when we focus on others. To discover how you can live… and love through a bad day, dive into this message with me…