“That’s
it!” I exclaimed. “Thank You, God!”
There
is something about showers and musing.
Under the steamy, refreshing flow of water—and who would have guessed
how luxurious water streaming over a newly bald head feels—my mind wanders and
ponders. Well, after six weeks, my
baldness isn’t quite so new anymore, but still the water feels good. And there goes my mind wandering again. I guess it’s not limited to showers.
Anyway,
after my shower I got ready for the day and then grabbed my NIV Study Bible,
which has a pretty good concordance. As
is the case 98% of the time, I knew what I was looking for but didn’t know
exactly where it was. The entries under “comfort”
yielded the result. Later, after church,
I spent some time on BibleGateway.com, reading the verses in various
translations until I found the one that, in my humble opinion, said it best. The New Century Version won the prize this
time:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ. God is the Father who is
full of mercy and all comfort. He
comforts us every time we have trouble, so when others have trouble, we can
comfort them with the same comfort God gives us. (2
Corinthians 1: 3-4)
I
have heard other Christians talk about their “life verse” before. I don’t know exactly what they mean by it,
but I know what I mean. And 2 Corinthians
1: 3-4 is mine.
Hopefully,
it is what I am doing at this very moment, writing away at the keyboard. My heart’s desire is to share with others the hope and
encouragement that God so graciously and generously showers on me.
Sometimes
I bewail the fact that I am neither a big-picture nor detail-oriented
person. I fall somewhere in-between,
which can feel like a pretty useless place to be. Occasionally, I see the big picture, but have
no idea how to get there; the details elude me.
I’m no vision caster, nor am I a vision implementer. Instead, I operate in the present. The here and now. Today, minute by minute.
And
now I am going to accept that as a blessing because it puts me in a place where
I can live out what God has for me to do.
That is, be a comforter. Share my
present joys and trials with others to encourage them. Point toward the God of all mercy, whose
generous and limitless love showers down on every single person in this world,
whether they recognize it or not. Include
the ups and downs, the doubts and fear and pain that are part of everyone’s
journey.
Writing
is not all of it. Sometimes I am blessed
to come alongside someone and listen to their story, really hear them. They don’t need to hear my story; they need
someone to fully engage with their story.
It’s an honor to be trusted to listen.
People usually do not want advice; they want to be heard and loved.
I’m
the same way. When I find that someone
has read my story and it has touched them, I feel heard and loved and more than
that: grateful to God that my telling
can bring His comfort.
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