Finding Comfort, Care in Midst of Life’s Storms

We often use the metaphor, “The storms of life.” Hurricane season is upon us during the year of the COVID-19 Storm. This is a bleak picture.

Our inner selves are experiencing the turbulence of so much. Hope is being tampered with from all sides as the winds of adversity and the rains of tribulation have been a constant threat.   

It may be bleak, but I want to encourage you. First, take a deep breath and take courage. We can do this, but we must look beyond this time and know it will pass. In this storm, perseverance is being developed in so many people. Acts of kindness are being nurtured and we are encouraged when we hear how people are helping one another. 

Someone has said, “Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” When individuals find encouragement, they often will encourage others who desperately need it. How do you find encouragement? For me, I look for it from God who says Do Not Be Afraid. Did you know that the phrase, “Do Not Be Afraid,” can be found 365 time in the Bible? One for each day of the year. These four simple words have the power to bring you peace and hope, comfort and care in the midst of this great storm.   

So I want to encourage you. Do not be afraid. For the testing of our faith produces perseverance. When we persevere, we will be able to look beyond our own experience and will be free to encourage others through acts of kindness, which always brings a reward to those who engage. Finally, when we find peace and hope and are comforted, we will be able to freely give to others so that they may find the same for themselves. 

About the author
Rev. Donna Spencer Collins, M.Div., is Pastor of the Phoenix Rising United Church of Christ in Groveland, MA, and a chaplain with Care Dimensions.