Be Encouraged
AM Psalm 116 • Zephaniah 3:14-20 • Mark 15:47-16:7
PM Psalm 30, 149 • Exodus 15:19-21 • 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
MOOD: UNCOMFORTABLE. I’ve been feeling out of sorts and not-quite-right for a few weeks now. Explaining it to a friend, I said, “I don’t know where I belong, but I know I belong somewhere.” I have found myself feeling weepy and defensive for no apparent reason at times, and a couple of Sundays ago, I had to leave church because my hair felt dirty (it wasn’t) and my dress seemed itchy and tight (maybe?). Nothing was wrong, but nothing was quite right, either. I know that these feelings are normal, and I’d be concerned about myself if I didn’t feel lost, upset, and anxious lately—I mean, look at the news. I’ve been urged to be gentle with myself and I am, sometimes, but I have found the most relief and strength in spending time in community, being honest about my feelings and my fears. Paul the Apostle emphasizes the importance of finding strength from G_d through community in this passage from his second letter to the Corinthians:
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. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.
The same friend I confided in about my discomfort is one I speak to or text each day. We pray for each other, and in two of our recent conversations, she’s let me know that while she’d been praying for me, she’d had a feeling that G_d was using this time of restlessness to work in my life, and that I should be encouraged. Those are the words she used both times: be encouraged, and I have been since those conversations with her. I wasn’t able to do that for myself—I am a total flop at encouraging myself in certain situations. Luckily, G_d knows this about me, and sent their strength to me through one who has known their comfort, too. A gift.
Written by Jane V. Blunschi
Jane is a writer living in Fayetteville, AR.