2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (The Message)
3-5 All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.
You know there is nothing worse than someone telling you they know what you are going through unless they have been in the same situation! I have actually had a preachers wife tell me this very same thing, and then went on to tell about losing her father. I just stared at her in disbelief and then finally said, "I am sorry, but you don't have a clue". Maybe not the best way to answer, but! As I was reading my daily devotion today, the scripture above jumped off the page at me. What a revelation and blessing at the same time! I can tell you that I would not be able to handle this great loss of my beloved husband without the "healing comfort" of my Lord. There have been several people that tell me I am strong. Well, I don't know about that completely, but they are right in the fact that I do believe His promises. Is the grieving process painful to the point of a broken heart? You can surely believe that also. There are days that I can barely get through and then there are a few that I make it pretty good. But this is normal! Nothing will ever be the same in my life, every day is another reminder that new things are learned and old things have to be dealt with. Truly one day at a time! But now for the rest of the verse! That bringing along someone who has truly been through or going through just what we are! What a blessing! Someone to have the right words to say and then sometimes to say nothing, but to just be there. The healing comfort is amazing! No, the circumstances are still the same, but because of God there is hope and a future. Would our spouses want us to go on or just decide to blame God and become bitter? Just to stop in the middle of the journey and sit in the middle of the road? I can tell you, John would be furious with me as I would with him. It is appointed unto man once to die! Death is part of life! Life does go on though, life is different! But God is the same today, yesterday and forever! Yes, He can use anything in our life for good! The Word of God is Yes and Amen! I pray you are encouraged as you either know someone or you are on this journey! Take time and don't rush this process. We can choose healthy or unhealthy ways to grieve! And we can also choose to recognize this healing comfort that is ours because of who we are in Christ! Please be an encouragement to others and when and if it happens to you, remember you are not alone. This full measure is ours!
Be blessed today!
