I recently had a blessing that hit me square in the heart. I had to go to the hospital for some tests, and since I have medical anxiety, I decided to take Gracie, my emotional support dog. Before I went, I didn’t know that the test would be intense, lengthy, and claustrophobic, like a mini-MRI. Plus, I would have to do it twice in one day.
When they told me what the test would entail, my anxiety shot up like a rocket. I looked at Gracie, thinking there was no way she could be anywhere near the scary, noisy imaging machine, but I was wrong. That brave little dog lay still on my stomach while the upper part of my body was covered in a moving, beeping machine. I could feel her literally absorbing my anxiety. She must have been terrified, but she did it. Not once, but twice.
I know how hard it was for me, as a human, to go through that. I can’t imagine her thinking, but I knew she understood I needed her. In those moments, I felt the love of God coming to me through that dog. He knew I needed comfort, and He gave it to me through Gracie. He knows me so well, and He soothed me perfectly.
Since then, I have thought about when Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” And where it says in 1 Corinthians that God is the source of ALL comfort. So, when we know and experience consolation, we know and experience God. Even when we aren’t aware that He’s the source of the relief. But when we realize it’s Him, things get sweet.
Jesus said that we can experience eternal life on this side of Heaven simply by knowing the Father. We are blessed when we mourn because we’ve just opened a portal to a dimension of the Father’s love we wouldn’t have experienced otherwise. If He is the source of all comfort, like the Bible says, He was in Gracie, laying on my belly and loving me extraordinarily and uniquely.
No wonder we are at our best when we love and console others. Whenever we give a smile, an encouraging word, a hug, He’s in it. He’s in us, working through us, to love on someone in need. But, as I discovered the other day, He is not limited to that. He will use a dog, a song, a sunset, whatever it takes to relieve our troubled souls. And maybe we are more open to Him and vulnerable in our hour of need.
Thinking of all that makes me finally understand why Jesus said we are blessed when we mourn because, in those moments, we know God. Even if we are unaware, it’s Him. I could have easily missed His activity through Gracie. I would still have the blessing, but because He made me aware, I know Him better than ever. I feel very loved and supported.
Here’s what I want you to do. I want you to be on the lookout for the myriad of ways He lightens your burdens daily. The laughter of a child, a surprise text from a friend, maybe even your dog or cat cuddled up by your side. He is the God of ALL comfort, so you have just experienced the divine. Count those blessings, and you will be surprised at how busy He is with you!
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