It’s Time to Embrace a New Message

A Storybook Setting

One of my earliest memories takes place at my grandparents’ house in Ohio. They lived so far from us that visits to see them were a special treat, and their home had a dense forest of trees around it that offered hours of exploration. This storybook setting was filled with tiny strawberry plants, darting grey rabbits, and the crunching sound of leaves underfoot. The outdoors was breathtaking, but the thing I most remember was inside their home. The grandfather clock that hung on their wall embodied everything precious about visiting my grandparents. When my grandmother pulled the chains to wind it, she would occasionally take my hand and allow me to pull them with her. It chimed a beautiful melody when we finished. To a four-year-old child, this was a fabulous invention.

The Day It Came Crashing Down

One day, I found myself alone in the hallway. Perhaps I was lured there by the gleaming clock; I looked at it and longed to hear the chimes ring out. It is possible that I wanted to help my grandmother by pulling them myself, but what is certain is this: I truly wanted to hear that clock chime. Reaching high above my head, I grabbed the chains and pulled them with all of my might. (Have you already envisioned what happened next?) That wondrous but heavy clock came crashing down onto my tiny head. As it fell, my screaming and the clock’s inner chimes merged into a frightful duet. That duet was not the melody that I had intended to play.

Clocked in My Spirit

My grandparents and my mother came running, but my grandfather got there first. He took in the scene: precious clock on the ground and precious granddaughter wailing. Then he began to yell at me for damaging his clock. I was clocked in the head by the grandfather clock, then I was clocked in the spirit by my grandfather. My mother tried to console me, but her father stopped her, saying that I deserved a lesson and needed to cry without being comforted. I remember that scene, not because of my injury or the embarrassment of having done something wrong, but because of my grandmother's uncharacteristic response. She argued with my grandfather, telling him that I was hurt, that I was a child, and that I deserved comfort. I do not recall if I received it, but I do remember standing there confused and distracted from my pain as I watched the adults argue above me.

A New Message: Compassionate Care

Sometimes the people around us are so entrenched in their own drama that they are unable or unwilling to offer us compassion, care, and comfort. Did a sobbing 4-year-old with a gash on her head deserve to be consoled? Of course! We instinctively want to soothe a hurting child. But you do not have to be a child to be worthy of receiving compassionate care.

Are you hurting today? Have you learned to hide your pain because your experiences have taught you that you won’t receive comfort? It is time to embrace a new message. You are God's child, and He longs to give you compassion and care when you are hurt. The people around you might be too embroiled in their busy lives to notice your needs. They might even seem to stand above you and blame you for your difficulties. But you, dear child of God, are worthy of receiving loving comfort. Jesus is the shepherd that longs to hold you close to his heart. He came down from heaven to repair your brokenness. He is a humble healer who stoops down to lift you up. He will wipe away every tear from your eyes. You are not alone in your pain or suffering, or your illness, or your heartache. Come near to God, and He will come near to you every time because you are precious to your Father in heaven.

Prayer: Dear God, living with illness often makes me feel like a child who needs to be comforted. I know that children need compassionate care when they are in pain, but I forget that it is okay for me to have those needs. I need your comfort to strengthen me. Help me release others from the expectation to meet my need for the comfort that only you can give. Thank you to the people in my life who do comfort me with the comfort they first received from you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Scripture: "I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass...” Isaiah 51:12

Points to Ponder:

1. Do you have any memories of how those around you responded when you were sick or hurt? What message did you receive from these interactions?
2. Who comforts you when you are overwhelmed by pain or illness? What are some ways that someone can come alongside you and offer you comfort? How can you communicate your need for comfort to those around you?