When To Be Quiet

There have been a few occasions in my life where I had the very unfortunate task of sharing terrible news. A death, a bad accident, a horrible injury, it's a strange realization that somebody is having the worst day of their life and they won't even know it until I tell them. 

Its followed by that awkward moment when the realization sets in and all the air is sucked out of the room.  When I watch their world fall apart, and all the walls of life come crashing down leaving behind a crushed and broken person.  

It can be uncomfortable to be around true genuineness. Normally when we ask people how they are we really don't want to know. When I am confronted with such raw and genuine emotion it is hard not to feel fake, as I guard myself from trying to sweep the situation under the rug with a foolish, "It will be okay" or "God has a plan for this." I've learned that the temptation to say such things comes from my discomfort not theirs. It has taken me years to learn to just be quiet and let them be real for a bit.