Guppy
Praise be to the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ…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
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Trish was the Student Attendance
Officer at the local high school. One of her duties was making sure
all twelve hundred students were in school, and if not, where they
were and why. Because of her position, Trish had garnered certain
insights into the lives of many of the most disruptive and troubled
students; the ones where teachers were actually relieved when they
were not in class. Trish knew that their behavior was a result of
their home life. Many were from broken marriages, abused or
neglected, and left to fend for themselves. As a result, most of them
had become thick-skinned and hard hearted, wanting to keep the world
at a distance lest they be wounded again.
But Trish, having had her parents
separate when she was young, understood them. She was known for
having an empathetic desire to help mend the brokenness. So much so
that the principle and teachers brought students to her for
counseling and prayer, rather than expel or detain them. She’d had
remarkable success in helping resolve issues and rekindle openness
and trust.
Years ago, one of Trish’s students
had nicknamed her ‘Guppy’, an affectionate play on words of the
Hebrew word agape’, which means unconditional love, and her petite
stature. To them Trish was the living definition.
†
Today’s scripture tells us that God
will put to use the pain of our lives if we’ll let Him. If we
remain faithful to God’s purpose there will be times we find
ourselves suddenly understanding why God didn't immediately deliver
us from our struggles.
Like Trish, we are meant to be good
stewards of our wounds, to use experience and understanding to make a
difference in the lives of those who are hurting.
Having persevered through hardships and
heartache we can be the ‘Guppy’ to those in need of our
experience and love. We can, like Trish, teach them to hope again.
Prayer
“Lord, use my past to
help someone in the present. Help me encourage those You bring to me
for healing and direction with the agape’ love You show to me. In
Jesus’ Name, amen.”
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