My son, now grown and living with his wife, recently faced a poignant loss—the passing of his pet ferret, Ollie, who had been his emotional support animal for many years. Despite Ollie's surprisingly long life for a ferret, his absence left a profound void. Witnessing my son grapple with his grief from afar caused me to reflect on the complex journey of seeking solace and the places and beings we turn to for comfort.
This experience got me thinking about the true nature of comfort and support. Pets, with their unconditional love and presence, offer a tangible source of comfort. Yet, their inevitable departure often leaves us confronting the impermanence of such sources of emotional support. They take pieces of us with them when they go.
Timeless Comfort
This turned my thoughts to the timeless comfort offered by God, a source of solace that transcends the physical world. He promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8). Also, as the Apostle Paul points out in his letter to the church at Corinth, God is the God of all comfort:
Further, David reminds us about God's enduring presence and support in Psalm 34:
Unlike our earthly comforts, God's support is unwavering, boundless, and eternal. Peter the Apostle points out that God is fine with us dumping our concerns on Him because He cares about us so deeply:
In moments of loss or despair, the realization that we have a divine Source of comfort that will never leave us in any way and that is available at any time offers us a profound sense of peace and hope.
Reflecting on Jesus's promise in Matthew 11:28, I see a clear invitation to seek solace in His presence. This invitation extends to you and me, regardless of our past or the depth of our current struggles. He wants to help us, to give us peace and rest.
I feel so sorry for my son. I've loved all my pets deeply, so I can empathize with his profound sense of loss. However, his situation is even more challenging, I think, because of how much he relied on Ollie to give him emotional support, to help him make sense of the world. What will he do now? He needs Ollie to process the loss of Ollie, but he's gone.
This is what concerns me about his current inability to accept the comfort that God offers him. It's never easy to lose a beloved pet or (worse) a person you love. For me, one of the most important things that has given me strength for a rough journey like that, to find my way to healing, is the solace of God's comfort, and knowing that He is not subject to the confines of time or life's circumstances.
In remembering Ollie and the joy he brought my son, I also want to celebrate the infinite, unchanging comfort provided by our emotional support God. He's there for us now, and whenever we need Him. He loves us, comforts us, heals us. And He will never leave us.
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