Receiving God’s Comfort through Courage
When I look at the photo taken of me running my first marathon I'm reminded of how a snap shot doesn’t tell the whole story. To look at the picture taken during the race I looked great, you would have thought the 26.2 miles went smoothly. However, my running companions knew the real struggle. The points I hardly move because of leg cramps, when I was near tears because of pain, and the moments I wanted to quit. They were with me, they could not run the race for me, but they were there. At times they walked with me, and offered the much-needed cups of water for the journey. That photo did not reflect the comfort I needed to make it through.
Presenting a snap shot life is easy. Similar to Facebook and Snapchat posts, we can be selective about what we allow people to see cropping or filtering out anything unflattering. It takes courage to let yourself to be known, to be transparent about your life. To live your life unfiltered is courageous because it means allowing others to see the parts of yourself that are not so flattering. As a church we have been challenged to meet together regularly, sharing life in community. A significant benefit of intentionally living in community is building relationships that allow us to authentically share ourselves. This type of sharing includes our grief, disappointment, our failures, and afflictions.
In 2 Corinthians 1:3-11, Paul explains that in his times of trouble God had given him comfort. In exchange, he was able to provide comfort to others. Paul is very open with struggles, the times when he felt “overwhelmed beyond his ability to endure, (v.9)” fearing he would perish. It was through these circumstances he learned to rely on God to get him through. This hope and comfort he received, he learned to pass on to others. The giving and receiving of God’s comfort to and through another person requires courage.
Yes, we will have trouble in this world, Romans 5:3-4 has taught us that suffering can lead to great benefits like perseverance, character, and hope. However, we are not meant to go through these times alone. Living life together, will give us the courage to reach out when trouble does come. Allowing God and others to walk with us through it. In turn, God will give us the courage to give the same comfort have received. We cannot run someone else race for them however we can walk with them and give that much-needed water for their journey.