ComfortWarrior

"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 have received from God."
~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

We've probably all heard the phrase, "Everything happens for a reason." I know I have. I hear it all the time--I even catch myself saying it. It's almost like an automatic response to anything that makes us feel slightly uncomfortable. Sometimes I say it without really thinking about it.

This year I learned the value of that statement. I did a Bible Study with one of my close friends over first and second Corinthians. When I first read the above verse I thought, "Wow, that is so cool. I worship the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort... that's really... comforting." (I know, how redundant.)

Shortly after that, a situation came up with one of my girlfriends. She was having a hard time with one of her other friends. It was because of a prior incident I had had several years before that I was able to relate to her and offer her comfort. The only comfort I had received was from God, and I was able to pass that on to her.

It hit me then that everything does happen for a reason. We suffer so that we can comfort others later. (There are other reasons too.) Sometimes it's hard to keep that in mind. When I realized the power of that, I became almost more accepting of suffering. I know that sounds strange, but if my brokenness can be some brightness to someone else, I pray that I might suffer and feel God's comfort so I can comfort others.

With that in mind, I say to you: be a ComfortWarrior. That sounds strange too, like an oxymoron. Think of it this way, warriors fight for others. They go on, even when they're hurt, because they have their hearts and minds focused on others. You and I, we have God there with us to patch us up as we go. It's because we have Him that we can comfort those to come. So be a ComfortWarrior.

God Bless!