Day 89 Comfort in the midst of the storm

      This am, dark still shrouding the earth with its blanket of darkness, I sit alone in my room drinking coffee and reading my Bible and devotionals. The dogs are waking up, the grandmother cat, Winnie, finds a place to take a short nap after having lapped up her saucer of milk. It is a quiet peaceful time, neighbors not yet up, the distant sounds of cars,  few and far between.

I love these moments of time when I can bathe my soul in hope and comfort. It is as if each morning, I reset my ‘positive clock’ with words of inspiration, then over the course the day, people and circumstances wear that clock down until, at last, before sleeping I realize it and I are both worn out and have no more left to give.

Recently I’ve been re-reading the Gospel of John. I am in hopes that the more I steep my mind and heart in the words of Jesus, the more those words will become part and parcel of who I am. I remember as a teenager becoming enamored with tye-dyed t-shirts. It was the 60’s and tye-dye spread from San Francisco to the rest of the US as a fad. I took my allowance, went to the store and bought several packages of Rit dye. It seemed magical in a way, tiny boxes, with so much power.

I can remember trying to create the bright patterns I’d seen in movies, on TV and in stores. It seemed so easy. I got a big kettle, put in the dye and water and followed the directions. I waited, but never long enough, my colors were always anemic shadows of the hues I wanted. I lacked the patience to wait until the dyes had done their work; I wanted to see the t-shirts, now!

Much of my life has been like trying to make those t-shirts, I want to see the results now! I set big goals, I create complicated plans, but the pattern has been at times I’ll grow tired of waiting for the results and stop short of reaching my goal. Spiritually, waiting is a principle that is scattered throughout scripture as being a key ingredient in the ‘God-walk’. Waiting and patience, both virtues that are only acquired by going through things, aka suffering.

Well, most of the people I know don’t like suffering, or waiting. It’s difficult, it’s complicated, and it requires a continual turning of heart and mind towards God in an attitude of faith believing that eventually the night of weeping will be over, and joy really will come in the morning. It also requires believing that some good will come out of all the pain, and it won’t be just wasted effort.

 

This am, reading my devotionals a couple of verses stood out to me, here they are:

“All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”

2^nd Corinthians 1: 2- 4  

        Well, the whole part about us being comforted so that we can comfort others makes sense. A client recently kept throwing out the word empathy.  It seemed as if at the time it was a manipulation to allow some people to get away with not following the rules, a vain attempt to evoke empathy as a rationale to over-look violations. Empathy, sympathy and comfort can sometimes all be lumped together into a mushy kind of emotional blanket people throw out to cover up the pain of life.

        I believe comfort in the sense of the comfort God gives is more than that. The Holy Spirit is described as the Comforter. Paul refers to the “comfort of the Scriptures.” Comfort to me means a deeper kind of knowing that no matter what, God will help me.  That no matter how dark it might be in my life, that He is still there and He loves me and has a purpose and plan for my life. When I try to comfort others, it is not so much that I tell them, “Yes I see how terrible that is. Yes, it is horrible.” But that I try to reassure them that in the midst of the storm God is still there. That I share:

 

Well, He’s brought me through the fire,

 And He’s saved me from the flood.

 He’s redeemed me through his power

 And He’s cleansed me with His blood.

 And when my heart became so broken,

 I couldn’t take another step,

 That’s when my God reached down and said,

“Child it’s time for you to get up.” 

Copyright 2006 robin dray

      Without God as part of the equation, comfort is a hollow use of meaningless platitudes that fall short of touching the enormity of human pain. With God, hope can be born in the soils of despair.

Wednesday night, at church, tired after a 6 am to 6:30 pm work day I went to church. I was exhausted, constantly directing a group of men who are used to being criminals on the street requires a lot of fortitude. Challenging financial problems, health issues with grandchildren all had taken their toll. I was ready to sleep, renew my strength for another day. I sat through the teaching, couldn’t quite bring myself to sing the songs. After church, waiting for a grandchild, I quietly played the piano going through an old chorus book with lots of beloved melodies.

        I looked up and my pastor came into the sanctuary, he quickly laid an envelope and left. I assumed it was a card for my relative who had been injured. I opened it and found a check made out to me. My pastor at the door of the sanctuary called back, “I’m just the messenger.”

        Somebody had anonymously given me money. I put my head down on the piano keys for a few moments. I cried.  I honestly didn’t know what to feel. Somebody, someone I knew, wanted to help me and my grandson. It was humbling and embarrassing. So much of me wants to be able to fix things myself. Waiting for God to help us it just didn’t occur to me that people might help. How do you accept gifts graciously? I don’t know, it’s something apparently I haven’t learned. Well, whoever you are, thank you. I will pay off some pressing utility bills and realize I have a bit of a reprieve to continue to try to figure out this financial mess. Someone wanted to try to comfort us in a tangible way. God used people, to comfort me with helping with the bills.

        I guess that brings up the fact that comfort, can come in all kinds of ways. A smile, a kind word, a casserole, a phone call, a letter, money, helping with repairs, errands, children…… sometimes, just feeling the sun on my face is a comfort and promise that eventually things will work out.

        God has designed us to experience His comfort and to become comforters. The very trials that create so much pain, are designed to allow us to experience his love and in turn show others that same love. My prayer is that I will continually grow in my ability to be of comfort. To allow God to keep working on my rough edges, (more than a few) and let His love and kindness shine through.

        Today, if you are going through a dark time dare to hope. Turn your heart and life over to Jesus and allow Him to fill you with peace, and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, allow Him to help you find your own joy in the morning. Be blessed.