Piper and Chris Myers on their wedding day. October 6, 2018

Sometimes there are simply no words. No words of comfort. No words of wisdom. No words of understanding. Sometimes there are only questions for which there are no answers.

This is one of those times.

Watching heretofore unimaginable grief and pain in those I love so dearly is a lesson in futility for me. Everything is futile, except perhaps simply being there. Like Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar, who in their silence comforted Job in his tremendous grief merely by their presence and their actions: tending his wounds, making him something to eat, building a fire to keep him warm, etc. There is no end to the comfort they brought Job by their silent presence.

There is also no end to the vexation they brought Job as they opened their mouths and began to explain to him why things had befallen him in such a manner. They were better to him when they were silent. Their words were empty. Their knowledge was all wrong. Their understanding was void.

I am empty of words. I have searched the heavens and the earth for answers and there are none to be found, only questions. Therefore, I will shut my mouth and in silence simply be near to do as I am asked, or to see a need and silently go about tending to it.

Sometimes being there is the best thing. Sometimes it is the only thing that matters.

This is one of those times.

May the mercy and peace of Almighty God rest upon you all. He has certainly built a hedge about my house. Like Job, I will praise Him in the midst of my lack of understanding. In sackcloth and ashes I will yet see Him in His glory.

For now, we all see through the glass, darkly. One day, the glass will be clear and the light will pour forth, then we will know.

We will see you again, Chris Myers, in that place that knows no tears. Until then, we will mourn your absence.

©2018 Mississippi Chris Sharp