Comfort

Over the summer one of my dearest friend's grandfather passed away. He hadn't been doing well for quite a while, and although his passing was expected, it did not make it an easy one. The fact that he was in his bedroom while the family was in the kitchen or working on his farm brought comfort. When he passed, family, friends, and various others brought physical comfort of a hug, a listening ear, or a hot meal...Let's face it, in the south, sometimes all we know to do is to offer food when death touches the people we love.

Throughout the time of this loss I went with my mom to the home to take a meal and spent a lot of time walking through the house looking at pictures. Pictures are the one way that memories can be captured forever and I believe you can never have too many of them. On the den wall hung three portraits. One of the man's daughter and her family, one of his oldest son and his family, and one of his youngest son who doesn't have his own family yet. Looking at these three pictures broke my heart for the youngest son. Immediately I thought...oh no, he has to face this all alone, who will comfort him? Sure, he is a great comfort for his mom, but what happens when he goes home at night...Who will sit with him at the service? Who will dry his tears?

In sharing this story, I fast forward five months to the events of today. It was a privilege to hear my friend Jeremy speak this morning on the past fifteen months of his and his families loss, grief, comfort, and hope. Jeremy shared so many profound realisations, Bible verses, and testimony today that it would take a while to share it all, but I would like to share what I walked away with. If we are solely putting our hope, faith, and need for comfort in the hands of humans, we will be disappointed. Jeremy spoke of what a comfort it was to have an elder in their church spend time with them who had been through the loss of a child. Someone who has walked in your shoes, someone who can be with you, yet not have to say a word and know exactly what you are thinking. I firmly believe that God allows certain situations in our lives so that we may help others if/when they have to face similar circumstances. He wants us to have people on earth in which we can rely and find comfort, but HE should be our ultimate comforter.

Jeremy also spoke about how Christians are not promised a perfect and wonderful life. No one ever taught us by saying Yes to God that he was going to hand you a perfect little life. If this was a perfect little life then what would we look forward to in Heaven? We are going to hurt, we are going to grieve, we are going to ask why, and we are going to have bad days...but think about what is promised once those days are behind us.

Today was one of those days when you hear something you have heard before, but it came with new meaning. Today I knew if the son in my story has his eyes focused on the comforter than he was in much better shape than any human could possibly offer. I am not saying that we do not need the human comfort offered by friends and family, I just think I personally need to rethink who and what I put my hope and my comfort into.

Today I am thankful for Lindsay and Jeremy. By taking a tragic circumstance, and using it to Glorify God, they are changing the world. I am thankful for Ayden and Collen, their precious boys, and I am thankful that God uses them to open my eyes to His truth on a regular basis.

Psalm 13
1 How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3 Look on me and answer, LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing the LORD’s praise,
for he has been good to me.