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WEDNESDAY THOUGHT 12/17/08

Go Afflict Yourself
 
I flat-out detest the phrase, “Comfort the afflicted; afflict the comfortable.”  The clowns who recite it are usually awfully comfortable, annoyingly self-righteous, and they announce that phrase because they are about to embark on some self-proclaimed and nonsensical right to annoy and criticize you.  (Phew!  Glad I got that off my chest.)
 
Instead, I’d just as soon stick to the first part: comfort the afflicted.  Take my brother Lou, for example.  He is no different from the rest of us — worries that keep him up at night and bills to pay, family responsibilities and troubles, and no crystal ball to guide his decisions.  Yet he packs up his medical bag on a moment’s notice and heads off to hellholes like Darfur in the Sudan, where he tries to not get killed while making a difference among the huge, impoverished refugee camps, some with populations of over one hundred thousand souls with no hope of ever returning to a semi-normal life again. 
 
My point:  I don’t think Jesus said, “Afflict one another.”  Most of us do enough of that without trying.  Instead, maybe we can all focus a bit — if only for this day — on the comforting part.  And here’s another thought:  Maybe we can also rejoice and celebrate that we have comfort to share. — jri
 
“Trust in the Lord and do good.”
    –    King David
           Psalm 37:3