Hello and howdy do
Can we sense God’s peace or even God’s comfort during our times of foment (ie troubles)? More critically, have our experiences during the rough patches give us pause about how we move forward with others? Consider today’s Holy Nougat as a reminder of the potential hidden in our trials
“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.” 2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT
I will confess – at first consideration, I would rather miss any lesson in life that would use trials as the professor. There are other ways to be; many fun things to do and experience. And yet, even those fun things undergo processes to become the precious item for me at the moment I engage with it. Take for instance, eating mangoes. It either originated from a seed that had to split for the germination process; or from a twig that had to be scraped, surrounded with dirt and then cut as it was separated from the main tree and obliged to use its own fledgling roots to come into its own. The fruit then went from blossom to bud to young fruit through rain, sun, bees, aphids, larvae (they musta got in somehow), and birds before being picked and eaten or picked semi-mature, packaged and shipped to become a blessing to someone’s life. All that just to be eaten.
Now the seed may have fallen off the tree, but otherwise it was intentionally planted by someone who tended it until it became a seedling and then a tree. The tree may not always have the farmer around in the physical sense; but a good farmer will always be checking for spiders, aphids and any other pests hanging around. S/He would sometimes have to take measures to save the tree/plant using (natural) repellents, or perhaps even cutting back dead branches and sick sections to ensure that the tree remains healthy.
And so it is with God. God is not seeming to be physically here with us – in the flesh – but whether by our own or other persons’ choices, Life happens. Disaster comes in one form or the other. Some say it comes in threes; others experience it in multiples. But that may just be our germination experience. And even when it isn’t, surviving it on this side of eternity means we not only have a testimony to share; but also a point of understanding and interaction with another.
So someone who has experienced Covid-19 would perhaps be strategically placed to help others of us think about how to care for ourselves if the virus tries to visit us. And one who has worked in the health sector and not contracted the virus can help us understand how to protect our lives from the virus. And one who has experienced recession, budget cuts, and/or unemployment learns from such experiences and is positioned to guide the recovery process.
Perhaps we can offer a helping hand, a healing touch, a comforting word from our own experiences of God’s mercy and grace during trials. Because God has called us to be community. And in being community, we share from our positions of experience and expertise so others may benefit. We also share and care for God’s glory.
How many inventions and businesses were birthed from seasons of disaster and disappointment?! How many learned from their experience and used the lessons to help others do, be and live! So can we. It begins with seeing (sending) God’s touch and presence in our difficulties and transforming the experience into a point of testimony.
In Christ’s love and grace . . .
