Listening to Lisa Brenninkmeyer on Hallow last week, I was touched by a beautifully articulated truth that is very close to my heart:
“Affliction comes in many forms. In the midst of a sin-saturated world, people need to know that they matter, that their pain matters, that they are seen. What a difference the presence of a comforter can make. We can’t answer all the questions about the suffering, but we can say, ‘I see it, and most importantly, I see you. I won’t let this pain swallow you or overwhelm you.’”
She continues, “Nothing makes us more effective ministers of comfort than having suffered ourselves. Not one of your tears of pain will be wasted if you allow them to be redeemed in the life of another. God can use every ounce of what you have been through to make this world a better, kinder place.”
I think I can safely say that everyone reading this column has suffered in one way or another. Childhood trauma, divorce, grief, financial hardship, family discord, health issues, mental illness, and on, and on, are all challenges that can redeem great gifts from the Holy Spirit. Priceless gifts like understanding and knowledge do not just appear – there is a cost.
Throughout my life, I have held the roles of both the comforted and the comforter many times. I have deep gratitude to the generous people who offered the compassion, empathy, and wisdom that had matured in their own incubators of suffering. I healed in ways that could not have been possible without their adversities. I am also very grateful to God when I can put my own tears of pain to good use in lightening the burden of others.
It is all part of God’s Grand Plan – He invites us to help each other, and by supporting one another our suffering loses its sting. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians, “Blessed be the… God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
Scripture: Read 2 Corinthians 1:4-5. What stands out?
Call to Action: Look around. Who might God be calling for you to comfort? Whose pain might you alleviate through the gifts you have earned?
