I held tight to my coffee mug as I listened intently to my new friend’s journey of loss. My heart ached for her. Like me, she was a young widow who had lost her husband to cancer. I desperately wanted to let go of my mug and hold her tight.
In my season of loss, God embraced me with His love and comforting presence. He had sent people to help me through my valley of grief. As tears streamed down both our faces, I realized this was my opportunity to extend the same love and compassion that I had received from my Heavenly Father and Christian sisters.
As our conversation ended, I felt God nudging me to embrace this young woman. She leaned in for a hug and as I held her tight, tears of thanksgiving filled my eyes. God had transformed my pain into purpose.
Paul wrote, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)
In this Scripture, Paul reminds us that God is the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. We need to take our pain to Him. Just as a mother knows how to soothe her crying child, God knows how to soothe each one of His children when they are hurting.
God comforts us so that we will go forth and comfort others in the same way. God wants us to use our pain for good. In comforting others, we serve as an example of Christ’s love, which furthers the Kingdom of God and brings Him glory. A hug, a listening ear, an encouraging word, prayer, or Scripture is a healing balm for someone who is hurting.
In Ephesians 2:10, Paul wrote, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (NIV)
Do you want to serve God and others, but do not know where to start? Ask God to direct you to the good works that He has prepared for you to do. Ask God to lead you to the people that He wants you to comfort and to reveal how He wants you to extend His love to them.
Prayer:
Lord, we praise You and thank You for being the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. Please guide us as we go forth and comfort others. Help us to be a true reflection of Your love. Use our pain for Your purposes and Your glory. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
About the Guest Author:
Ali Kozlow is a Christ-follower, writer, widow, and full-time mom to two teenage boys. By God’s grace, she is thriving in the midst of loss and chronic illness. Alison loves reading, journaling, taking nature walks, and sipping on a steaming cup of coffee. However, her greatest passion is sharing her love for Jesus with others. She lives in Northern Ontario, Canada.
