The truth is that all of the world’s problems stem from one incident: mankind’s rebellion against God back in the garden of Eden. Still, we can take courage because sin and death won’t have the final word. God sent his Son to do for us what we could not do for ourselves: live the perfect life on our behalf and be the perfect atoning sacrifice for our sins. Through faith in Christ alone for our salvation, we will triumph over all the tragedies of this world and live forever with God in glory.

Sometimes it’s hard to find the right words when someone you care about is suffering. Still, there are plenty of ways you can be supportive in painful circumstances. After my son died in a skiing accident thirteen years ago at the age of sixteen, people reached out to me in a multitude of ways that enabled me to survive—and eventually thrive. When you don’t know what to say or do to help people who are hurting, try the following:

1. Pray For Them

The power of prayer is real. I still run into people who tell me that they have continued to pray for my family since my son’s death twelve years ago. I consider myself a walking miracle, and I’m extremely thankful to God for every one of those petitions people made on my family’s behalf.

2. Hug Them

Hugs are a wonderful way to show you care. Another plus with giving someone a hug is that you don’t have to worry about saying the wrong thing. When people hugged me, I felt like it was okay to not say anything when I didn’t feel like talking. The hug said it all.

3. Stay With Them

Hurting people can be filled with fear. A husband and wife whom my family have known for many years stayed with us for about three weeks after our son died. They lived around five hundred miles away, and the man took off work to do this. My husband and I were actually afraid to stay alone at night for some time, so this was a tremendous help. It’s difficult to describe the anxiety a parent feels after a child dies. Try to make sure grieving people are not left alone in those early, dark days.

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