When Comfort And Healing Feel Far Away

 

These last few weeks have been tough, especially for Law Enforcement in South Carolina.  It's as if the evil in this world has been running rampant.  It's in these times that we begin to feel the seething anger boiling within us and the desire for revenge surging like a storm.  I admit it, I have those dark thoughts too and believe that I am justified in having them.

In this world we have a choice, to become like the evil we see, even if we call it "justified" or we can do what is right even when it goes against every fiber of our heart.  You see, two wrongs do not make it right.  It IS truly as struggle because, in my own heart, I don't seek justice...I seek vengeance, and that is where I am so wrong!  If I follow my heart to vengeance, then I become just like the evil I want to prevent.  

So what can we do?  We must do what is right!  We must learn to use our experiences to bring comfort to others who are also struggling.  

Where is God in all this? Where He always is, right with us...loving us....caring for us....healing us....comforting us.  Why aren't we feeling any sense of comfort?  Let me put it this way, if you have a wound that requires stitches but every day you keep picking at them keeping the wound open, how long do you think it will take to heal?  If we accept the stitches and take the physician's counsel seriously, the wound will heal properly in the right time.

Those with scars have proven they have survived.  And in their surviving are a valuable source of strength and comfort for those walking wounded.  God comforts us so we can comfort others.  It isn't easy to accept comfort, and that's okay.  Healing takes time! 

How Much?

²⁷ As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, shouting, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” ²⁸ When he went into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” ²⁹ Then he touched their eyes saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.”
Matthew 9:27-29

I've read this story hundreds of times, and perhaps you have too, and it wasn't until this morning that something in this brief narrative jumped out at me. In this story, Jesus was going about his ministry when two blind men followed Him, shouting, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"  This in not the part that jumped out at me, but it is interesting that the Bible doesn't mention anyone helping these blind men follow Jesus, it merely states that they followed him.  

Jesus went into the house and the blind men came to Him. And here's the build up, Jesus asked them both: "Do YOU believe that I am able to do this?"  Jesus is asking these men if they REALLY believe Jesus can heal them or are they just looking for to see what they can get out of Jesus.  

Both men say they believe Jesus can heal them.  Then Jesus touched their eyes (and here's the part that jumped out at me) and said, "Let it be done for you ACCORDING TO YOUR FAITH!"  What I took away from that is that half-hearted belief is no belief at all!  

How many times have we prayed during a situation expecting God to handle our situation the way WE have it planned?  How many times have we prayed half-heartedly and were disappointed when nothing happened?  Remember this phrase spoken by Jesus to these blind men: "ACCORDING TO YOUR FAITH!"   

New Math

Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

Matthew 6:27 

 

I was never very good at math.  Once I ran out of fingers and toes, I was done.  And the ever dreaded Word Problems..... forgive me the nasty little flashback.....I just heard in my mind, "If a train leave from Boston traveling to Dallas at a rate of 85 mph, and another train leaves from Portland traveling to Baton Rouge at a rate of 73 mph, what color is the dog in Phoenix?"  I wondered how a train just suddenly begins its journey at such a high rate of speed!  I also wondered why anyone on either train would wonder why Phoenix apparently had only one dog.  So you can imagine how excited my math teachers were when I would raise my hand to ask a question.

One of the joys of my job is that I have the opportunity to teach new police officers...impart some of my wisdom, if you will.  Okay, I get to share with them from my years of screwing up life...but it's still pretty exciting for me.  One of the classes I am allowed to teach is Law Enforcement Stress Awareness, whereby these new officers (some of them actually stay awake) that you WILL encounter stress in your lives.  Huh......who would have thought that we will encounter stress in our lives?

And here's the kicker, what causes me to worry and stress might not bother you at all.  BUT if you are a good friend, you'll notice that it is bothering me and, at the very least, sit with me to let me voice it.

Now comes the dreaded "Word Problem."  You are having a great day.  Then you receive some news that you don't like (insert your own worrisome issue here).  Now have a choice, let that news item consume you and you spend sleepless nights and zombie-like days worrying about the issue; or you can change what you can and accept that you cannot change some things.

 

Worry will steal you joy if you let it.  I learned, and am still learning, that it's my reaction (how I handle) the situations of life that will determine if my joy is stolen from me or not.   All my worrying will not add a single cent to my bank account.  All my worrying will not heal a single health concern.  All my worrying will not make me taller.  All my worrying will not make me better looking.  All my worrying does is steal my joy.  Worry takes our eyes off Christ and THAT is when our joy evaporates!

 

Treadmills are EVIL!!!!

And my God will supply every need of yours 

according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

~Philippians 4:19

While you are reading this, I am having my Nuclear Stress Test (aka, my cardiologist's idea of fun for me).  Last time I had one of these, I admit I was terrified.  The entire night before the test I was anxious, worried, not looking forward to enduring such torture.  I was stressed WAY before the stress test!

But the more I thought about it over the years, I have come to realize that God is the one in control.  And He is in control of EVERYTHING!  So why worry?

Grampa once told me: "What have YOU got to be worried about? God gave you life and it's HIS job to get you through it!"  So....today I am letting God do His work with me and I will be grateful when the snack breaks come around.  I need coffee!!!

 

Ever Feel Overwhelmed?

 "Little children, you are from God and have overcome the world, 

for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."

~1 John 4:4

What happens when you have something out of the ordinary happen?  Let's say you are struggling to make it from paycheck to paycheck and one your way to work smoke starts gushing from under the hood of the car.  While you are standing on the side of the road wondering if your day could possibly get any worse, the rain starts and your umbrella is at work.  When you finally manage to get a ride home, you walk in drenched and dripping all over the floor when your child decides this would be the best possible time to start throwing up. You know the day, the one where if you don't drink, you seriously consider taking up drinking as an occupation.

Think about this for a moment:  Our enemy's job is to make us ineffective, since he cannot take God's children from God's hand.  And one of the ways he makes us ineffective is to overwhelm us.  Sun Tzu, who wrote "The Art of War", stated: “The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy, so that he cannot fathom our real intent.”  So you see, if our enemy can overwhelm us, we take our focus off of God, and even doubt God, and we do not even consider the enemy's true intent.

My prayer is that, when (not if) the storms begin to rage, we will learn to cling to the God who speaks the storms into submission and calms the raging seas. 

Celebrate Life By Comforting Others!

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.

~2 Corinthians 1:3-5

 

Have you ever endured a loss that hurt so deeply that you thought you would not ever recover?  On November 17, 1981, my Grampa's time on Earth ended.  I was devastated and miss him every single day.  I still hear his wisdom and his jokes.  But Grampa lived a full, albeit unusual, life.  And I have found comfort in that.

 

During my time in ministry, I have tried to help families who have lost a child.  Some were due to accidents; some were due to miscarriages; some were due to SIDS, but they were all beyond tragic.  Sadly, one piece of "advice" I had the misfortune to hear over and over was "You're still young. You can try again. Just put this out of your mind and move on."  Yes, I heard well-meaning, very sincere people stab the hearts of the mourning families with this counsel.  Remember the saying, "If you can't say something nice, then say nothing"?  

 

It has been truly an honor and privilege to have some of these families as personal friends.  And I was contacted by one of these Moms recently. She wanted to raise awareness of  Child Loss!  She wants others to know that they are not alone in this!  She is wanting to heal by helping others heal.  And THAT is what it means to "Love your neighbor as yourself."

 

You see, and I've said this before and here it comes again, God does not comfort us to make us comfortable!  God comforts us so we can comfort others!

 

If you or someone you know has had such a loss or needs to begin taking the first step toward healing, let me know.  I would like this Mom to be able to make contact.  Sometimes the best comfort is knowing you are not alone!