A Spectacle Of Glory #354

Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Because I deal with chronic pain, I’m sometimes tempted to imagine I’m the only one who suffers this way, this badly. That feeling of being alone in suffering is absolutely terrifying. Your world gets smaller and smaller as you tell yourself, No one could possibly be hurting as much as I do. In reality, I know better. Countless people all over the world suffer as much as I do—if not more. And people at my office, in my family, on my block, or in my church are carrying heavy weights of their own. These are people who will be encouraged by a phone call, a card in the mail, a thoughtful gift, an email, or a simple text that tells them you remember them and are holding them before Jesus in prayer. The more I reach out of my cramped world of suffering to encourage someone else, difficult as it may be, the less alone I feel.

Lord, I’m comforted to know You are well aware of my pain and difficulties. Please give me the grace and strength and initiative—in Your strong name—to bring a little brightness, a little courage, a little hope, into the life of someone else who is discouraged, anxious, or suffering today.