I know what you are going through

Today’s reading in 2 Corinthians 1:4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” No one likes to go through hard times, but when we do and we are comforted with God’s comfort, it does equip us to help others that may go through the same thing. God allows pain in my life to give me a ministry to others. There are many reasons that problems occur in our lives. There are many reasons we go through hard times and get hurt. Sometimes it is caused by our own bad decisions, sometimes it is caused by other peoples’ bad decisions and for no reason of our own. In any case, since God is supreme He could always just step in and prevent bad things from ever happening to us, but He doesn’t. Now why is that? One of the reasons God allows pain in my life is to give me a heart to help others. It makes me humble, sympathetic, and more sensitive to others’ needs. The truth is, pain prepares you to serve. When others are troubled needing our sympathy and encouragement we can pass on to them the same help and comfort God has given us. Who can better help an alcoholic or a drug addict than somebody who struggled with alcoholism or drug abuse? Who can better help somebody dealing with the pain of abuse than someone who was abused themselves? Who can better help somebody who lost his job and went bankrupt than somebody who lost his job and went bankrupt? Who can better help a couple of parents who have a teenager, who’s going off the deep end than a couple who had a teenager who went off the deep end? God wants to use and recycle the pain in your life to help others, but you have got to be open about it and honest. If you keep that hurt to yourself, you’re wasting it. As we go through the healing cycle and feel the presence and love and forgiveness of God we are being prepared to help others do the same thing. As we learn how to get victory over certain struggles that we have faced we are being prepared to help others. God never wastes a hurt, neither should we. Let’s share God’s great love and comfort with others.