August 11
Esther 8-10
Psalm 90:1-6
Proverbs 20:7-9
2 Corinthians 1:1-14
It’s Not All About You
“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.” I Corinthians 1:3-4
God uses everything that happens to us, good and bad, to bring about good. He does not let our pain go to waste. He can take even the most horrible situations we go through to bring us closer to Him and then He can use us to help others. This life is filled with tragedy and heartache. Bad stuff happens all the time: a cancer diagnosis, a job loss, physical or sexual abuse, divorce, death of a loved one, an accident that causes permanent injury. I have heard it said that you are either just coming out of a difficulty, in the midst of one, or about to enter into one. I am not suggesting that God makes the bad things happen or even that He allows them to happen so that at some time in the future we can help someone else going through the same thing, but rather that no matter what happens to us, God can use it. We live in a fallen world that is unpredictable and confusing. Thankfully we have a Father who never leaves us and never forsakes us. He is with us every step of the way. He loves us and can comfort and care for us no matter what we face.
When we are going through the shock and pain of any difficult situation, the person we want to talk to is someone who understands because they have been there before. Someone who is trying to break free from alcohol or drug addiction needs help from an alcoholic or drug addict who has been sober for a while. Someone who is reeling from the pain of divorce needs others who have been divorced to help them process how to move forward. Someone who has lost a spouse needs other widows to help them grieve and learn to keep living without their partner. Someone who has experienced a job loss or career failure can help someone who is experiencing a similar situation. We need each other. We don’t have to walk through tragedy and pain alone. Our loving Heavenly Father is with us every step of the way and He provides people who can help us with whatever we need. He gives us what we need, and then He graciously uses us to help others. I think this is not just for their benefit, but also for ours, because the process of helping others aids in our healing as well. Processing through the pain with someone else helps us process our own pain. We are never fully healed from pain and tragedy in our lives. We may be functioning fine and able to move forward, but a memory can trigger the pain all over again. It is a process. Little by little, God helps us heal and continue living. Helping others is part of that healing process. Taking our eyes off our own pain to help someone else with their journey is beneficial and fulfilling. If we allow Him to use us, He will provide lots of opportunities for meaningful involvement with others.
Comments