II Corinthians 1:3-4
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
God is our comforter. Since I accepted Jesus as my Savior, I have always depended on God to comfort me, but, I really wasn't sure how to comfort others. It even seems harder to comfort someone when you haven't experienced what they are going through.
When a friend or even an acquaintance is going through something difficult it is our job to be there when they need us most; The passing of a mother, father, husband, wife or child; a failed pregnancy, family difficulties, health problems, marital arguments, TEENAGERS! (enough said).
God says in His word, right here, that he comforts us in our time of trouble and we should GO and DO the same. The trials that we go through, although not easy, prepare us to help others. These trials have molded you and me into the person God intended us to be so we can help someone else that needs comforted.
Two things that I have learned that are very helpful when comforting someone in need are:
-Don't ever tell the person how they should be handling their pain. Everyone handles difficulties differently.
-Even though you may have experienced something similar, Don't ever say "I know how you feel." I know when my Father-in-Law lost his wife, that seemed to be the thing that bothered him most. He just kept saying, "they don't know how I feel, no one knows how I feel."
If we follow the Lords example, he listens to us, allows us to cry, lets us know that we are not alone, that we have someone that will walk with us as we go through this difficult time. Follow his example and be there to listen. Show understanding, empathy, about their worries and fears. Cry when they cry and laugh with them when they have the strength to laugh. Be the comforter that God himself has shown us how to be.
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