Most people can relate to feeling frustrated by someone (or even a pet) whether it’s a sibling, spouse, child, student, friend, co-worker, customer, dog, or cat. I like the phrase “He’s a handful.” To me, it means, “I love this person, but wow, she can be challenging,” or perhaps, “He’s really high-maintenance”. Sometimes the phrase is an unhelpful understatement, but in this case, it was exactly what I needed to hear.

I also can’t help but wonder if I am sometimes that handful or challenge to someone else who I love and who loves me. It’s something to consider.

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17).

From the journal . . . June 2026

I was talking a close friend the other day about someone we both knew and loved who was causing me frustration.  After listening to my complaint he said, “He’s a handful!”

Oh Lord!  It brought me so much comfort to hear that response! “He’s a handful!”  It wasn’t a mean comment about the person but  it gave me the understanding that comforted. God, this is sort of weird because it was so simple, but I think it’s a revelation from You.

Then God said to me:

Yes, it is. I made people to interact with each other.  You have common experiences, challenges, and successes that bring understanding. When there are frustrations and/or challenges in your life, it helps to talk to someone who empathizes with you. They can advise or suggest possible solutions or just say “I understand how you feel.” It validates your feelings. You personally have experienced relational, physical, financial, emotional, and spiritual problems, and so you can relate to others going through the same. 

He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us (2 Corinthians 1:4 ).

The shortest verse in the Bible is “Jesus wept” from John 11:35. Lazarus had died and Jesus and His disciples had gone to see the family. There are many opinions on why Jesus wept.  I wouldn’t presume to know, but for me, one of the most predictable ways to bring me to tears is to see someone else crying.   Jesus knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. The sisters would not be sad for long, but in the moment, they were devasted and He responded to their sorrow.

All that is to say, God doesn’t waste our pain.  It is not in vain. Often He uses it to make us more like Him but also so we can encourage and share the burdens of others with compassion and emphathy.

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ (Gal 6:2).

...not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebr 10:25).

We love, because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).