Comfort
Everyone Needs Encouragement
By David E. Metcalf
Written, 11/25/21; Revised, 1/1/2024
The 2020’s have brought the world much pain, confusion, heartache, sickness and death. People are looking for hope and encouragement, while struggling to persevere with the responsibilities of life – raising families, taking care of loved ones, making ends meet, fighting sickness, and more.
Can I share some words of comfort, hope and encouragement with you? I need them too, and writing this is one way to encourage myself, while trying to encourage others.
I’m a believer in the God of the Bible, salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, His second coming to earth, eternal life, and the many other wonderful, interesting and inspiring stories and concepts written in the Bible. Even if you aren’t a believer, I encourage you to take a break from the cares of this life and join me in thinking about the possibilities of eternity. If what the Bible says is true, and I believe it is (and I plan to write more about why I believe this), then great joys await the believers in eternity, and we can have hope and comfort in this life, enduring hardships while enjoying the good things of this life, knowing it is but a brief time when compared to eternity.
Some people say we should only focus on our responsibilities of this life, and not spend time thinking about eternity. I think we should do both. In fact, I think many of us should increase the amount of time that we think about the wonderful things that await the believer and search the Scriptures to see what the authors tell us about this topic.
When I started looking for words like “comfort,” “hope,” “compassion,” and “encourage” in the Bible, I discovered these words are in numerous places throughout the Scriptures. In fact, next to the concept of “love” this may be the next most common concept that we find. Which makes sense if you believe God loves us and wants to comfort us in this fallen world.
As I was reading 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verses 13-18, which talks about the end times when we are reunited with loved ones who have died, I noticed that the last verse tells us to comfort one another with these words (some translations say to encourage one another). So if we are to comfort one another with the words in this chapter, we have to think about and talk about eternity, and how wonderful it will be to be reunited with loved ones that we have lost, as well as how wonderful it will be to be with our Lord and Savior for eternity. Couple this with Revelation 21:4 which says He will wipe the tears from our eyes and there will be no more death, mourning or pain!
When I also read Ephesians 3:20, which says God will do much more than we can even ask or think, and 1 Corinthians 2:9, which says God has prepared wonderful things for us that we haven’t seen, heard, or thought about, I had a thought come to mind that I should try to imagine as many wonderful things about eternity that I can, knowing that even with the vivid imagination God gave me, I can only scratch the surface of what He has for us.
So here goes…
Imagine being reunited with a father, who was mentally ill for many years, and there was never a normal father/child relationship because of this, but now that father is a healthy young adult in his right mind. When you first see each other in eternity, imagine screaming “daddy!” and your father crying “my son!” or “my daughter!” as you embrace, tears flowing as you are reunited, overwhelmed with the knowledge that all the pain is gone, and you can now have the relationship that you always longed for. Forever.
Imagine being reunited with a mother, who you were close to and missed very much, who had many struggles in life, but was there for you in your younger days to help you navigate life as best she could. Now, she is a healthy young adult who you almost don’t recognize at first, but in seconds you know who she is, and you embrace, weeping, overjoyed and overwhelmed with emotion, knowing all the hardships are gone, and you will see each other in only happy circumstances. Forever.
Imagine being reunited with a child that you lost. While the Bible doesn’t clarify what “age” that child will be, it does make it clear that the reunion will occur. In the Old Testament, David lost a child and assured all of us that he would see the child again. Imagine holding that child, perhaps weeping and crying out for joy all at the same time, knowing that the years of pain and loss are over, and you will always be together again. Forever.
Imagine being reunited with grandparents, who were so loving and fun to be around when you were young. You remember them as elderly, gray-haired, with a warm smile, always giving you a gentle hug, and telling you how wonderful you are. Now, you don’t immediately recognize them, as they are young adults, the grandfather has hair, the grandmother doesn’t have gray hair. They recognize you before you recognize them. But soon, you are embracing, laughing, crying, and rejoicing in being together again. Forever.
Imagine being reunited with siblings that you have lost, some of which you were really close to, and missed very much, others that you had a strained relationship with, but now that relationship is healed, and you can now be close to all of them, and enjoy a wonderful relationship where you will never be separated again. When I see my brother, Loren, again, my only sibling who has passed at the time of this writing, it will be such a happy moment. He will be free of all sickness. It will be so wonderful to be together again. Forever.
Imagine being reunited with a spouse that passed away, who you loved very much. Now, you are both young and healthy, and can be together in whatever way God designs for eternity, enjoying being in your “love circle” of children, grandchildren, siblings, parents, grandparents, and close friends. All of your loved ones are young and healthy, happy and free of all sorrow from the past. Together. Forever.
Imagine seeing your favorite pastors again, young adults, healthy and happy. Pastors who helped you through difficult times during your childhood years, who always had an encouraging word, a powerful prayer, a beautiful smile, and a warm and loving spirit, where they loved you as their own children. After they are reunited with their own children, you are able to hug them again, weeping, laughing, and celebrating with them. Together with them again. Forever.
Imagine someone who was injured and lost one or more of their limbs being restored to complete health, with the full function of a healthy body.
Imagine someone who was injured and disfigured being restored to full health, beautiful inside and out, with no scars.
Imagine a blind person who can now see. A deaf person who can now hear. A person who couldn’t speak who can now speak. A person who lost their taste and smell who now has it fully restored.
Imagine life with no sickness. No common colds, no influenza, no viruses of any kind. No bacterial infections, no upset stomachs, no headaches. No cancer.
Imagine an eternity where you can meet your great-great-great-great grandfather who has the same name as you. The stories that will be told…
Imagine having the time to learn to play all those musical instruments that you have been wanting to learn for so many years.
Imagine having time to write all those stories and books and poems that you wished you had time and inspiration to write.
Imagine having time to build the most beautiful garden of flowers, decorative plants and trees, something you have been wanting to do for a long time.
Imagine sitting down and visiting with so many family and friends, sharing so many wonderful stories, talking and laughing for hours, without regard for time.
Imagine climbing mountains, hiking scenic trails, and visiting beautiful places without hurting physically or getting overly tired, with no mosquito bites, no annoying horse flies, no risk of injury, no fear of getting lost, no risk of fires, lightning strikes, torrential rain, or any other fears.
Imagine a world with no evil, no crime, no sorrow, no envy or strife, no bad memories. No need for hospitals, nursing homes, ambulances, wheelchairs, prisons, weapons of war, police officers, trial lawyers, or anything else that is part of a sinful world.
Imagine a world with only peace, joy, love, righteousness, holiness, good health, happiness and immortality. Imagine good food, good fellowship, good fun, good relationships, and good times forever.
Some of those who are reading this may say, “David, you are in a fantasy world, come back down to earth.” Well, I will certainly try to maintain my responsibilities here in this life, but according to the Bible, these things I have shared aren’t fantasies, they are realities to come. While many don’t believe it, I do. When one of the disciples, Thomas, said he would believe Jesus was alive again if he could see and touch the scars in his hands and side, Jesus said this: “Because you have seen me, you have believed, but blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”
Be encouraged. Find a private place and weep in God’s presence, asking Him to help you through the pain and struggles of life. If you don’t know if He is real, ask Him to reveal Himself to you, and watch to see what happens. Find some quiet moments to be still and listen for God to speak to your heart, listen to inspirational music, build a puzzle, write down your thoughts, read the Bible, take a walk in a quiet place, and think about the good things in life and how grateful you are for them.
May God bless you and reveal Himself to you and reveal to you the wonderful things that are coming in eternity to those who believe.