Our Comforting God
Are you in need of comfort today? Harriet Bouchillon, who ministered alongside her husband for 40 years, discovered the precious presence of our comforting God in a great time of need. If you are hurting, I pray God will UPLIFT your spirit today.
“Since my husband Jim’s promotion to Heaven,” Harriet writes, “I have learned that unwelcomed and not always healthy thoughts often come during the grieving process.”
Anyone who has struggled through grief, even as a Christian, understands what Harriet is talking about. Confused thoughts and roller coaster emotions are normal.
Harriet continues …
During an especially melancholy day four months after Jim’s death, I was dwelling on what his unspoken thoughts might have been as he lay in his sick bed. What did he remember most about our 
life together? And what were his thoughts about me?
It so happened that was the day I chose to clean out Jim’s desk. In the process, I came across an unsigned “to my wife” birthday card.
My mind raced back to my birthday the previous year, when Jim was in remission from cancer. Frustration was in his voice as he gave me a lovely gift. He had also purchased a beautiful card, he said, and had put it in a safe place. But now he couldn’t find it!
Oh, my dear Jim—if he could only understand that just having him still with me was enough, with or without a card!
The timing of the card’s delivery was perfectly orchestrated by God.
Only He could know I would need it the exact moment of its discovery. Tears flowed as I read the beautiful, comforting words that I took as coming directly from Jim’s heart to mine.
“The man who finds a wife finds a good thing; she is a blessing to him from the Lord” (Proverbs 18:12, The Living Bible).
There are moments when I catch myself saying,
Wow, that’s my wife.
They seem to come in the most ordinary times—
When you’re laughing with our family,
When we’re having dinner with friends,
When you and I are together doing nothing at all.
I’m still just amazed that out of all the men in the world,
I’m the one who gets to share life with you.
After all this time, I still don’t know all the reasons why God trusted me
With one of His most amazing gifts . . .
But I’ll be grateful for the rest of my life that He did.
Happy Birthday. I Love You.
How true is God’s Word when He says, “I, even I, am He who comforts you” (Isaiah 51:12).
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3).
Can you remember a time when God comforted you in your hour of need? Are you in need right now of God’s comforting ministry in your life?
Harriet Bouchillon has served as a missionary with Camino Global since 1972, ministering alongside her husband, Jim, in Spain, Mexico and Hispanic USA. She blogs at "Blessed by the Grace of God" (English and Spanish versions). Harriet, recently widowed, disciples, teaches, and mentors women. This mother to three and grandmother to six makes her home in El Cajon, California. Read her story about overcoming the fear of death in the tract, "Confessions of a Mortician's Daughter" (also here in Spanish).
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Reader Comments (2)
That was beautiful and heart-rending. Thanks for sharing your story. You look so beautiful in your photo!
So inspirational, Harriet! My tears flowed as I pictured Jim's saying those beautiful words to you. We definitely have a comforting God who engineered the timing of your finding this card. Praise The Lord!