It has been awhile since my last post. Part of the reason was an inability to access my blog. Thank God that has been repaired!
I have been told by many people that a person who is drawn to writing and journaling rarely has a large following – that a person who designs and leads retreats for spiritual growth rarely has a large following. But that workshops and conferences are highly attended. To me – that’s an interesting phenomenon. I began asking people about their experience with ‘retreats’ and ‘conferences’ and discovered that some people are quite uncomfortable at retreats and the periods of silence. I heard from other people they didn’t like the ‘intimacy’ in some of the sharing from other people. One person told me that a retreat they had attended had evoked too much emotion for them to handle and they didn’t know how to deal with that so they avoid them. Someone else told me they like the enthusiasm and excitement at conferences and the energy it produces.

It seems that people prefer to keep things in the head rather than having their hearts touched. Now, as much as Jesus is known for asking people what they thought about something, we must remember that he was asking them to go deeper than just head knowledge. He was asking them to slow down, look and think with their soul (their heart) as well as their minds. It seems that is what Jesus was doing when he called his disciples to follow him so he could teach them how to fish for (find/pay attention to) people.

Come and look at life from another perspective . . . and once they did . . . they got a little uncomfortable seeing all the uncomfortable people in the world. Jesus looked at all the uncomfortable people (including his disciples) and said – ‘You will be comforted’

There is a certain amount of discomfort that comes along with the gift of compassion.

What are we to do with all this discomfort we feel? Jesus had compassion on himself as well as other people. How compassionate are you toward yourself? How willing are you to follow Jesus to a quiet place so you can receive comfort for your own sorrow?

I thought about Mary and the pain of the initial rejection that Joseph expressed toward her. She sought comfort – she went to her cousin Elizabeth and came back rejoicing.

When Saul was converted he was poor in Spirit – then he was directed to go to different places in order find comfort and direction.

When Jesus saw the crowds that were following him he had compassion on them and went up a hill, not so much to hide from them, but to be with God and to teach his disciples about finding comfort and giving comfort to themselves and other people.

The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount was actually the beginning of Jesus teaching his disciples not to be completely dependent on him for their comfort. He was beginning to teach them that there is a Holy Spirit who is never uncomfortable. The Holy Spirit is always full and ready to comfort anyone who approaches, seeks and asks. The Sermon on the Mount was the beginning of Jesus teaching his disciples that when you see the discomfort of other people it is wise, to seek first to have the poverty in your own soul comforted (filled) by the Holy Spirit so you are able to not only feed people in body, but also lead them to the One who can fill their Soul. He later teaches his disciples that the Holy Spirit is given freely to anyone who asks, without reservation or judgement, wherever they are.

Blessed are the poor in Spirit – you will be comforted.

You will find comfort and be comforted when you seek it. There is wisdom in seeking comfort for yourself so you may comfort others.

Let Us Pray,

Lord, there are times when we have felt overcome by the poverty in the world. Times when we have given so much that we have become poor in Spirit, times when we have experienced rejection to the point of feeling impoverished in Spirit ourselves. Again and again you call us to come and be with you, you have spread your wings to gather and comfort us in your presence and we have not come to you. Please forgive for rejecting you,for ignoring you, for running away from you. Please help us to seek you first, to learn how to get to a quiet place so we may be renewed and refilled. Help us to recognize the strength found in seeking comfort from you. Help us to provide places of comfort for those who need to find rest from the world and want to learn how to let your living word and spirit rest upon and in them. Fill us and comfort us so we may comfort others. AMEN