To all of my friends, near and far, who are struggling, suffering, worried, or in pain

Today, in response to the news that a friend was suffering, I mentioned to someone that God may not allow us to suffer more than we can bear, but sometimes that's not very comforting. She pointed out that there is no mention of that particular platitude in the Bible. And, she's correct. Turns out that Mother Teresa said something like that, and, while she's pretty high up there, she's not actually God.

She pointed out that God DOES allow us to experience more than we can bear. And it happens all the time. Personally, the amount of stuff that I can bear is quite small. I can take on one kid at a time, a small dinner party, or sometimes even a very minor crisis. Anything beyond that, and I'm in lockdown mode, hiding in the bathroom, wrapped in the shower curtain. I've also spent time under someone's guest bed with a pillow over my head.

There are a lot of people suffering more than they can bear right now. Sick kids, bodies in pain, death of loved ones, emotional trauma, financial burdens. The list could go on forever.

Image via Crescat

Fortunately though, that's not the end of the story.

Fortunately, God is bigger that all our problems. And while we may have to live through these awful seasons, and we may not be able to handle them on our own, we have to remember that we aren't alone.

God is with us.

But sometimes even that may seem like a small consolation.

Pain and suffering often make our field of vision narrow. How can I see anything but the face of my suffering child? How can I see beyond the pain of my damaged, broken body? How do I look past all the emotional turmoil that keeps my mind so tied up in knots that I can't even leave the house?

But God really IS with us. And even though we can't actually see him, I know he's here.

I see him in the faces of my friends that show up at my door when I can't leave the house. I hear him in the voices of the people who call, or in the words of emails and texts. There's the obvious places, of course; devotionals, scripture, messages at church. But I see God in other places, too. The play of light over my fluffy pup sleeping in a patch of sunlight, the chiming of the teacups hanging from tree branches in my backyard, the angry chattering of the hummingbird when the feeder is empty; all these things pull me out of my misery and remind me that I am not shouldering this alone. There are people and reminders all around me that tell me that I am not alone.

And knowing we are not alone in our suffering is a comfort. It may be a small comfort when squared up with whatever it is you're struggling over, but sometimes a small comfort can make all the difference.

So take heart, dear friends. You are not alone.