It
was a cold, damp, gloomy day. She sat in a pew in the funeral home with some of
her friends and one of her professors. Her mother had died unexpectedly, and now
she was in a position where she had to carry a lot more of the load at home. I walked
down the aisle on the right, and when she saw me, she stood up, walked over,
and we embraced. It was a long, tight hug, one you wish you never have to give
to one of your students. We talked for a while, still locked in our hug, and
then we went and sat down. What do you say to someone at a time like this? Sometimes
nothing.
“…Weep with them that weep.”
Romans 12:15 (ASV)
A
hug is a means of communicating love to and unity with another person. They say
that it boosts the level of the hormone oxytocin, and they say that helps us
connect emotionally with someone else. It’s also claimed that hugging increases
the level of the neurotransmitter dopamine in our brain, and as a result
hugging helps relieve stress and tension. This is all good and well, but it’s
rather technical. When you really, really need a hug and you get a genuine one,
you know it’s helpful.
Our
ability to encourage a struggling person grows when we struggle. God trains us with
comfort in our affliction so that we can transfer our comfort to others.
“Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of mercies and God of all
comfort,
who comforts us in all our affliction,
so that we may be able to comfort those
who are in any affliction,
with the comfort with which we ourselves
are comforted by God.”
II
Corinthians 1:3-4 (ESV)
Do
you want to be able to comfort others? Ask God to teach you to do so. And then
fasten your seatbelt.
It
was a much nicer day. I walked into the first floor of the Howell Memorial
Science Building in the morning, heading toward my office. As I passed the
stairs that lead to the second floor, I heard the rapid pitter-patter of feet
coming down. There she was again. “Dr. Vogt! Dr. Vogt! Dr. Vogt! I just found
out–I got into medical school! You’re the first person I’ve told!” We met on
the first floor, and again we hugged, this time out of joy.
“Rejoice with them that
rejoice; weep with them that weep.”
Romans 12:15 (ASV)
Sometimes
the other side of the coin is glorious.
