-/\/\-----------------------------------------------------------------
\ / HEARTLIGHT(R) Magazine -- http://www.heartlight.org/
--\/------------------------------------------------------------------
February 16, 2009
|-- Today's Verse Now on Facebook -------------------------|
Now you can add Today's Verse to your Facebook account &
share a daily verse from God's Word with your friends.
Just add the application to your Facebook profile and the
verse will update automatically. Click below for details:
|-- http://ads.heartlight.org/email/159/ ------------------|
=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
Comfort in any Season, by Phil Ware
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in
all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with
the comfort we ourselves receive from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4
TNIV).
Did you hear what Paul was saying in those two short verses? I hope so,
because you are going to need to hang on to it. Life drags us through
different seasons -- some of them good, and some of them bad;, and we
are all going to need help or to be ready to help in the darker times.
One of my hardest seasons came on a Sunday night many years ago. I was
speaking when one of our Shepherds hurriedly started up the church
aisle, obviously bringing some kind of urgent message. The closer he
came to the front of the sanctuary, the more his face showed great
agony. About six rows from the front, he could hold his words no
longer. In a spray of grief from a deep well of sorrow, he told the
church that one of our family's 11-year-old boy had been hit by a car
as he rode his bicycle to church. The little boy died before we could
get to the hospital. The loss was gut-wrenching, hard to accept, and
devastating to all of us ... especially this boy's parents.
Words cannot describe the pain parents have in such seasons. And while
many of us could offer these parents comfort because of our own recent
grief, those whose words and presence blessed this grief-stricken
family most were those who had been there -- folks who had survived the
deep wounds of losing a child and had somehow found a way to go on with
their lives.
Remember how Paul wrote it, "[T]he God of all comfort, who comforts us
in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with
the comfort we ourselves receive from God." The truth of this is as
undeniable in real life as it sounds in Scripture.
Those who have "been there," and that God has carried through the dark
night of the soul, bring something to us when we find ourselves in our
own "time to mourn." Because God's strength has carried them, their
wounds validate ...
* the anguish of our hurt:
not with platitudes, pity looks, or simplistic explanation, but the
assurance that here is someone who knows and cares about our hurt.
* the uniqueness of our pain:
we know their wound is like our own, but they recognize that our
wound is as unique as the person we have lost
* the strength within our spirits:
they show us that they are making it through this horror with the
help of God and His Spirit, so we can make it, too, and we will do
it together.
The incredible blessing of being in God's community, His family of
grace in the midst of fire, is that we do not have to walk our
loneliest trails of despair alone. When we walk through "the valley of
the shadow of death" we will not have to do it alone. Not only is God
with us, but God makes Himself available through a fellow traveler who
has real skin and a wounded heart of grace. These brothers and sisters
in Christ walk with us, support us, and remind us that we are not
alone. They are there, for every season, so that during our time of
mourning we are not alone and when we finally reach that time to dance,
we have soul-level friends who will share our joy.
My prayer for you is this:
If God has brought you through when you faced a season of grief and
pain, may you find another to help through their season of grief.
If you find yourself in the deep well of sorrow and grief, may God
bring the right folks to walk along side you, and share your journey
till you are where you can help other wounded travelers yourself.
If you received this by email, you will want to check out the blog for
several videos that go with this article and a discussion of the
questions found below:
see http://thephilfiles.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Discussion Questions & Blog Feedback:
How have you experienced this principle, "we can comfort those in any
trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God" in your life?
Were you on the receiving or sharing end of this comfort giving?
How did this bless your life?
Why do we feel that we must defend God with people who have suffered
great loss?
In the book of Job, when Job's life crashes in, several "comforters"
join him in the dust and sit in silence to share his grief (Job 2:11-13).
Then, after 7 days of mourning with him in silence, they open their
mouths and their comfort turns into an unintended attack on Job because
they feel like they have to explain why all this happened to Job.
Why do you think so many people say simplistic and unintended
hurtful things to those in grief?
Why do we feel that we must defend God with people who have
suffered great loss?
How is sitting and sharing people's grief in silence better than
opening our mouths?
What should we say to comfort people in their grief?
Why do we wait to DO something to help those in grief -- buy their
groceries, wash their car, mow their lawn, baby sit other children --
rather than just asking them what we can do to help?
If you have suffered deep loss, how did God comfort you and how did He
use other people to bless you?
I'd love to hear from you on my blog:
http://thephilfiles.com
---------
(c) 2009 Phil Ware <phil@heartlight.org>. All rights reserved.
RELATED LINKS:
* Tragedy Can Bring Awareness
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200709/20070928_awareness.html
* It Hurts to Breathe
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200403/20040320_breathe.html
* Victory Over Loss and Anger
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200705/20070503_victoryoverloss.html
* Southern Hills Church of Christ
http://www.southernhillschurch.org
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200902/20090216_comfort.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
LOOK GREAT, FEEL GREAT: 12 KEYS TO ENJOYING A HEALTHY LIFE NOW, by Joyce Meyer
Joyce guides us to a healthier way of living, reminding us that turning
every issue over to God gives us the strength to make lasting changes.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?260
Find more great books, CDs and videos at the Heartlight store! With
each purchase you make, you're helping to support Heartlight's
ministry. Thanks SO MUCH for your help!
HEARTLIGHT DAILY EMAIL /\/\
===============================================================\ /===
http://www.heartlight.org/ \/
Visit HEARTLIGHT on the web for even more articles, plus music,
devotionals and more for your Christian walk!
ABOUT HEARTLIGHT:
Heartlight, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) religious non-profit organization.
Donations are welcome and tax-deductible! Find out how to help!
http://www.heartlight.org/support
EDITOR: Phil Ware, phil@heartlight.org
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE?
It's FREE! To subscribe send a blank email to:
join-heartlight@maillists.heartlight.org
HOW DO I LEAVE?
To unsubscribe send a blank email to:
heartlight-unsub@maillists.heartlight.org
STILL HAVING TROUBLE?
If our automated unsubscribe system isn't working for you,
send an email to mailmaster@heartlight.org and let us know
what list you would like to leave. We'll take care of you.
======================================================================
