Finding the Right Words
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
I struggle to find the right words sometimes. What do you say to the father who is watching his 50 year old daughter die of cancer? When he speaks of a hole in his heart that won’t go away?
The day I’m writing this marks my 16th anniversary of becoming a chaplain. You would think I would know what to say each time. I don’t.
It’s not a matter of how much education one has.
As I thought and prayed about it this morning, I felt that God was telling me to rely on His words more, not my own.
One thing I’ve figured out in all these years of ministry is that I don’t always have the words to comfort. The main thing is being there. A “non anxious prescience” they call it. A shoulder to cry on. Before this COVID stuff started, I gave a lot of hugs. (I still sneak some in! I can’t help it.)
So, realizing that I don’t have the right words all the time, I will strive to pray more, and ask God to speak through me.
Paul says God comforts us so we can comfort others. He’s the “God of all comfort.”
