“Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.”
Proverbs 25:25
I stumbled onto this proverb the other day when I was looking up the passage for my earlier post about living on the corner of the roof. The reference to a distant land struck me immediately as the new term “social distancing” has become a part of the world’s recent vocabulary. Suddenly, in this particular time, the neighbors house is a distant land, our friend’s homes are distant lands, our co-workers live in a distant land – everywhere beyond our own front porch is distant. But that distance shouldn’t stop us from sharing good news!
There are so many weary souls today. As routines change, jobs become non-essential, supplies become scarce and so do our patience, everyone could use some good news. It might seem difficult to think of any good news to share, but if we can look beyond our circumstances of the moment we will find the good news to be plentiful!
I am inspired as I see friends using their gifts this week to share good news in many ways – here are a few ideas for us all to share:
- Comfort is good news!
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-5
I love the way this version describes our comfort as overflowing. When we have experienced the comfort that God offers, we can’t help but want to share that comfort with others. This is especially true when we have a similar suffering. We may all have a unique set of circumstances, but right now, they are still framed by separation from others and the economic consequences of a national shutdown. We can offer comfort because we understand – we are experiencing the same trouble.
What comfort can you share with a weary soul today?
- Joy is good news!
“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
John 15:11
Jesus certainly knew that his words of God’s love and remaining in that love would bring us joy. We can also share our joy – the joy of remaining in God’s love – and when we do, we can expect that our joy will spill over onto others. Joy is contagious and it is not based on circumstances. With God’s love, we can have joy in spite of our circumstances.
What joy can you share with a weary soul today?
- Hope is good news!
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:13
When we are filled with the joy and peace of God, our hope is for more than this world. Even as everything we know in this life is changing daily, we can have hope that all is well eternally. If I hope for today, that is good, but temporary. If I hope for eternity, then that hope carries me through today – and tomorrow – and every day. I have that hope and I want to share it with the world because that, my friends, is the best news!
What hope can you share with a weary soul today?
In a practical sense, please do not think that your gifts are useless in this time. My friends are sharing music, exercise, reading, teaching, photos, and so much more. There is room for everyone to share – there is no limit to the need for encouragement! As is often said in our Hope*writers group, “You have something to share and the world needs to hear it!” – even if shared from a distance.