Comforted to Comfort

You ever notice that when we finally get out of whatever we are suffering from, it never seems to be the way we thought we'd get out of it? Like during our suffering, we could never understand or see the way out that God has for us. It's because it's His plan, not ours.

Sometimes His plan involves remaining in the situation and standing up under its weight. It means we don't let it break us down. That's what we see in Job.

Often it's only suffering and trials that make us better people than we would have been otherwise. It's only suffering that pushes us to explore the heights and depths of who God is, and discover and experience Him for ourselves.

Just this weekend, one of you messaged me and said that through your recent struggles, you've been led closer to God than ever, and that these morning writings are helping. I'm blown away. But it's a testimony to what I just said.

In our minds, we find it easy to think that if we are righteous, things will go well, physically, materially, and spiritually.

We may not acknowledge it, but we often fall into the mindset of Job's friends, assuming that only good comes to good.

But that isn't always the case. Suffering brings strength and growth. So that's what makes it worth it. Not just the fact that it makes us better (which we may or may not even desire, to be honest), but the fact that it blazes out into comfort, encouragement, and even salvation to many others around us, and beyond.

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"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 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."

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Be Nice. Grace Wins.

FMJ