Wesley's Notes-- "Under the former heaven, and upon the former earth, there was death and sorrow, crying and pain; all which occasioned many tears: but now pain and sorrow are fled away, and the saints have everlasting life and joy."
What
comforts you when you are suffering? Got a favorite comfort food that you
reach for when you’re stressed? A muffin; that’s my comfort food.
Eating
provides us with some relief from suffering because certain foods have
the right combination of salt, sugar, and fat, a combination which
triggers the release of hormones that make us feel good . . . for a few
minutes. To keep feeling good we have to keep eating that
combination of salt, sugar, and fat. And eating. And eating. And
eating.
The
inability of my favorite comfort food to truly provide comfort serves as a reminder that nothing in this world puts an end to suffering. We can numb
ourselves. Distract ourselves, but the things that bring tears to our
eyes remain.
“God
will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or
mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed
away.” That’s how the end of the world is described in the Book of
Revelation. The heavenly Father will comfort the faithful and put a
stop to all of the things that bring a tear to their eyes.
The
night before he was killed, Jesus promised his disciples that his death
would not leave them spiritually orphaned. Jesus would send a
Comforter to them. The Holy Spirit that fell upon Christians at
Pentecost is the fulfillment of that promise.
The
Holy Spirit didn’t end suffering on Earth, however. Jesus final words
to his disciples included the acknowledgment that in
this world they would suffer persecution, but they were to take heart
because he had overcome the world.
The
next time you are crying, outwardly or inwardly, don’t reach for the
food, reach for the Holy Spirit. This is the form of prayer that helps me reach for the Spirit--
Spirit of Christ (arms raised up above my head),Fall on us (arms lowered and then spread wide).Spirit of Christ (reach to the right and then to the left),Fill me (brings hand to the chest).
I
think the Holy Spirit is a comfort because it comes to us with a
reminder that death, grief, and pain have an expiration date. We
shouldn’t be satisfied with anything less. We shouldn’t be content with
the numbing effects of food, drink. or drugs. We shouldn’t settle for
the distracting effects of such things as TV, books, or shopping. Instead
of numbing out or dropping out of life, we should seek the One with the power to end suffering.
