All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

— 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

As we finished loading up the two older gentlemen, we made our way to the restaurant for lunch.

Both men had been married for more than 65 years.

A year or so earlier, one of the men held his sweetheart’s hand as she went home to Heaven.

Recently, the other gentleman had to bid his farewell to the beautiful joy of his life as well.

They spoke knowingly to each other, recognizing their own emotions in the eyes of the other.

It was a holy moment.

Troubles come in all shapes and sizes. Jesus said that’s the way it would it be.

He also told us that he’d be there with us in the middle of each and every one.

As Paul writes this letter, he reveals that God’s comfort will accompany his presence and the presence of other people who have been comforted by God in similar troubles.

Amazing. Just like his love, his comfort is to pass through our hands and hearts into the hands and hearts of others.

Our troubles have been someone else’s troubles. Someone else’s troubles have been our troubles.

Here Paul connects the dots.

Find each other. Share about God’s goodness amid the struggle. Listen to others. Allow others to listen to you.

Too much comfort goes unrealized because we allow ourselves and others to isolate amid the pain.

Keep your eyes and ears opened. Reciprocal comfort is a powerful way to redeem pain.

Wind chasers

But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless — like chasing after the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.

— Ecclesiastes 2:11

So, this crazy light on the back door of our minivan kept popping out every time we closed the door.

The pieces that lock it into place had tired. No amount of coaxing could get it to stay.

“Fine,” I said to myself. “I’ll fix it.”

I set out on a lengthy engineering plan that required pieces from some junk in the garage, electrical tape and precision placement.

One door shut later, the whole thing came hopelessly apart. Ugh! What a waste of my time.

Solomon thought about wasted time more than anyone else.

He pondered extensively all of life’s activities, both the challenges and pleasures that it contains.

His conclusion was rather dismal: “Meaningless!”

The stuff of earth had no ability to satisfy his restless soul.

At the end of his disappointing experiential and observational journey, he concludes the best plan is to fear God and obey his commands.

Running around trying to catch the wind strikes us as not only pointless but also more than a little odd.

This reality was, of course, Solomon’s point.

The more difficult part for us to understand, much less embrace, is the equals sign he placed between chasing the wind and just about every goal, activity or experience we so tirelessly pursue in life.

Yikes! Now what?

“Come to me,” Jesus said, “and you will find rest for your soul.”

Wiles is senior minister of Fall Creek Christian Church in Pendleton. He can be reached at 765-778-3166.