This week’s Five Minute Friday prompt is the word “comfort.” My thoughts are still turning, so let’s see what happens, shall we? Can I get it all in within 5 minutes (and make it make sense without edits)? Probably not, but I’ll try anyway. Ready?
GO
2 Corinthians 1 is a passage I can’t quite wrap my head around. It starts out encouraging enough, but then takes a huge twist. It begins “praise be to… the Father of compassion and God of all comfort” (v 3) which I love. It gives me the warm fuzzies like a mug of hot cocoa/espresso and a soft blanket.
But then it says “For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” (2 Cor 1:5)
And I just want to say, hold on, wait a minute. I do not like this.
We share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ?
I don’t want that.
Suffering is as repulsive as pet vomit to me.
I run from it.
But here we are, Christians, who share abundantly in Christ sufferings. Or rather, there Paul was. But throughout even Jesus’ teachings it says we will suffer.
People will reject you and persecute you because of me, Jesus says. (Matt 5:11)
In this world you will have trouble, Jesus says. (John 16:33)
We share in Christ’s sufferings.
The only way I can comprehend sharing in Christ’s sufferings is to look at Romans 5 which says we have died with Christ to our sins. They are dead and buried. Except my sin dies hard. I relate far too well with Paul when he writes about doing the thing he hates. (Romans 7)
That brings a fair share of suffering to my life. And that sin is so entrenched in who I am. Sin of jealousy. Anger. Fear. Gluttony. Laziness.
Only by God can that leave me.
And it hurts to be refined.
So whether or not I am suffering in Christ’s sufferings or not, the point of this passage is still that I will be comforted.
[Tweet “You will be comforted.”]Whatever your trial, struggle, persecution, fire, or even death, you will be comforted.
Unfortunately sometimes we have to experience the pain to experience the comfort.
Can we be ok with that?
STOP
Alright, I confess, my 5 minute alarm went off 20 seconds ago…
Y’all, I cried huge crocodile tears 2 weeks ago after struggling to comprehend the suicide of our friend. It took me 5 days to allow myself to feel the grief. But it was only through grieving that I felt comforted.
I am going through a trial right now where I feel that God is pulling out the envy and pride from my heart. It hurts and is scary and I have had a few anxiety attacks. But this morning God showed up with his comfort.
Sometimes we have to be emptied of our suffering through tears in order to be filled with God’s comfort.
Before I keep writing for another 5 minutes, what is your source of suffering? What comfort do you need? I encourage you to bring it all before the Father of Compassion. The God of all Comfort.
Much love
Leah
Leah, my heart breaks for you and your friend. I also had a friend commit suicide in college. It is so hard. So much THIS: “Sometimes we have to be emptied of our suffering through tears in order to be filled with God’s comfort.” I’m in the 54 spot this week.
Thanks, Tara. For empathizing and for commenting. I appreciate it!
Leah, Such a paradox isn’t it? We can’t truly grasp the depths of comfort unless we experience the depths of suffering. I find inspiration in Laura Story’s song blessings.
‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise”
That’s not to say that we aren’t comforted in more stable times but I think we don’t appreciate the comfort as much. Thankful for a Merciful and Gracious God.
I LOVE that song. And yeah, perhaps trying to put a paradox into a neat blog post is a ridiculous effort, but it’s what I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about. Thanks for coming alongside me!
It’s raining. My daughter asked me, “How can it be raining and sunny outside?” I told her we could go look for rainbows. When we have the Son and our tears, and God gives us hope (like a rainbow). Tears are healing. Grief is the path towards God’s best comfort.
May God continue to comfort you in your grief, deepen your faith, and give you hope in your trials.
I agree with you, I’m no fan of suffering. And yet, I’ve received the most growth and best comfort during those times.
Yes, we definitely have to feel the pain in order to experience the comfort. It just does not mean anything otherwise. But then once we have felt the pain and learned the feeling and meaning of comfort, we can comfort others. There is blessing in that. But the pain is still, well, painful. So sorry to hear about your friend’s death and your grief.
Visiting from FMF –