"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
It's so hard to know what to say to someone who is suffering a loss. "I'm sorry for your loss," seems safe enough. But, does it really offer any comfort? I knew a woman who lost her little boy to leukemia. Days later, a very insensitive man at our church said, "well sister, you just have to trust God."
Of course she needed to trust God, but that statement was of no comfort at all.
I have another friend who lost her husband this past year. She very bravely gave her testimony in church a few weeks ago. Another insensitive man (a different one) came up after and asked, "so, you're still grieving?"
The Bible says that we will be equipped to give comfort to those who need it by the comfort we have received. Maybe the more pain we endure, the more comfort we receive. And the more comfort we receive, the more we have to give.
I don't know the answer really, but I believe this passage. I worry about saying insensitive things to those who are grieving. Certainly I have experienced loss, but it is hard to know what to say to someone whose wounds are fresh. But I trust that God will provide a way for me to give comfort. Maybe it is just holding a hand, or lending an ear. Maybe it's bringing over a meal, or offering to watch the children for an afternoon. Or, maybe it is just by not saying something insensitive.
So, this week, let's take the comfort we have received during the storms in our lives and extend it to others who are hurting.
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