What Can I Do? (Healing Our Loved Ones Who Hurt)

Often I hear from loved ones who have someone in their life suffering from past abuses, depression, or addiction, who is, in their opinion, reacting and responding to life in such a way that it is harmful to themselves or those around them. What can I do? is the plea.

I’m asked this often enough that I chose to highlight my response in the Hopeful Hearts Newsletter last week. I know not all of you receive it (though you can sign up to! ) and I wanted to share my response with all of you. Maybe one of you is asking the very same question and my heart goes out to you in this time.

When you have a loved one hurting it can often feel like you are BOTH in chains to the issue. Whether they are dealing with effects from abuse, addiction, low self-esteem, depression, or relationship dilemmas when…