the beauty of affliction

The phone rings several times and I almost hang up before she answers.

I talk. She listens with her gaping wide-open heart.
She talks and I hear… with my gaping wide-open  heart.

There are no words to say, to fix, to heal… apart from the words
of the One we both are knowing more day by day.
The One who *knows* us even more.

She speaks and I listen harder when the words come.. from that deep place she’s been many times before. The place where joy comes in the morning… through the mourning.

“You get to choose how much of the grief you’ll wear.” she counsels.
“You can keep stirring the pot and more will come up to the surface and you get to decide what to do with it.”

Stirring the pot.       Yes.

Jesus, who speaks through this affliction,  speaks from affliction… for the afflicted.

For us.
For the nows. afflicted crying camillas

We recognize Him………in the breaking…. the breaking… the breaking.

And I know what I must do.

Stir the pot and use what comes to the surface to feed others who find themselves here…

hurting and hungry.
Thoroughly confused and thirsting…
For the Bread of Life… for the Living water.

He did not let this cup pass from Him.
Neither did she.
Nor will I.

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.
For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings,
so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (ESV)

The table is open. Come. 

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11 thoughts on “the beauty of affliction

  1. Hey there buddy, You are a listener. How rare and how priceless. By the way I too am going to share that quote from CS Lewis. Keep pumping the “Lewis” we need it.

  2. This is beautiful and I plan to share that C.S. Lewis quote to someone I know needs to hear it. Thanks for stopping by my blog–I am following you now! 🙂

  3. One of the dearest Scriptures to me … that we may comfort those with the comfort we have received. He is the God of ALL comfort. It is His very essence. Did you know that the Greek word for this “comfort” is paraklesis? The name of the Holy Spirit, “the Helper,” comes from this. It is His Name: Comfort. And, the word is also used to mean “to draw near” or summons. It is as though you are being drawn near to this comfort — more than just summonsed to His comfort — but to the Comforter, Himself. And after you have received you will be filled to pour out this comfort as the paraclete that you are and are becoming even more. This is witness. This is beautiful testimony. I ache with you and yet I am so encouraged.

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