Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)

Chronic illness or not, some days we just want to be comforted. Our desire is often just to have someone to hug us, hold us, tell us everything will be okay, and just be with us. Sometimes, or even much of the time, our wants stay unmet - either because we haven’t made them known, or because people are unavailable or unequipped to satisfy them. For those of us with illnesses that cause physical pain, sometimes our wish to be embraced is ravaged by the thought of adding more agony. We so desperately want others, especially the ones we are closest to, to fill the voids. “If they only knew how much pain I was really in,” we say to ourselves. “Just because I look okay, doesn’t mean I feel okay” is what we want to shout to the world in the hope that just one person would check on us. But, in an attempt to find someone who will just “get it,” we end up isolating ourselves because of our inevitable disappointment in people.

When Jesus walked this earth, He took on “humanness” and experienced pain and suffering for our sake. He felt disappointment at the hand of His closest friends. He endured physical agony. He understood isolation. “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” (Isaiah 53:3 NIV) His resurrection and ascension into heaven did not alter or negate these experiences.

We get so stuck on “they don’t understand” that we forget He understands. If there’s one thing we know for sure, it’s that He can identify with what we are going through. And guess what else? He’s available to comfort us 24/7, 365 with no exceptions. We can pour out our tears to Him, knowing that He will wipe them away. We can talk about our weaknesses, with the guarantee that He will handle us gently. He will listen while we speak, and He will speak when we have no words to give. No person can give what God can. As much as we want our spouse, friends, or family to strengthen and encourage us, they can’t do it as often and consistently as He can.

When we spend quality, frequent time in the presence of God, we open ourselves up to receive strength and restoration from the Holy Spirit. There’s no describing what this experience is like, but once it happens, you’ll understand why it’s more important to go to Him than to others. And another awesome thing - when we ask for and receive support from God, He gives us an extra dose to pass on to others. Our supernatural encouragement is recycled into comfort for others. He is such a good consoler, that once we experience it, we will want to share our overwhelming peace and joy with others!  

So, this week, I’m encouraging you to stop relying solely on people to give you the comfort you desire. I’m not saying that people can’t console you, or that you can’t ask for support (you should have honest, realistic conversations with your family and closest friends). I’m asking that you release people from your expectations, and go to God first to fulfill your needs. And why not? He is, after all, “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort”!