“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.”- Matthew 5:4 (The Message)
In surprising ways, suffering makes room in our spirit for us to know and experience the blessing of God’s peace and presence.”- Kyle Idleman
Kyle Idleman continues his discussion of Matthew 5:4 in Chapter 2 of The End of Me by asserting that we can’t know God’s comfort without experiencing suffering. When we mourn, then, we experience the blessing of God’s presence. Pastor Idleman explains what we find in our suffering:
“There is a deep void that used to be filled with whatever we lost. That could be stuff or even relationships- none of which are bad things. But when it’s gone it leaves an aching cavity, and God is there to fill it up with himself.”
Coming to the end of Me enables you to experience the blessing of God’s presence as you never have before. While wonderful things have been embraced and lost in life, Kyle encourages us that there is no embrace like God’s embrace. God will not waste your pain, and He most certainly will not leave you alone.
Today’s question: As you mourn your ministry downsizing or vocation loss, how have you experienced God’s blessing as never before? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: the Thanksgiving Short Meditation, “Thanksliving”
