In my first post with this title I talked about the possibility of joy being a shared experience with God because we have been created in His image. I have that same question about our ability to carry the pain of someone we love.

My heart is crushed today because my friend is in a deepening trench of unrelenting pain. This pain has such a grip on her that she is rejecting me. I am finding no welcome for my effort to show compassion.

I know that the depth of my pain could be because I don’t trust God to undertake for my friend.  If this is the case, I need to repent. But is it possible that I am sharing in His sufferings?

Might this be a time when, as the Holy Spirit picks up my inarticulate groaning, my feeble attempts at prayer become a powerful communication between the Spirit within, the Son interceding and the Father attending?

How does being an image bearer affect my view of personal pain?