Craig Clouston

 

Guppy

July 28

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

2Corinthians 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.

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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.”