The Things We Never Wanted to Learn
“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. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.” 2 Corinthians 1:3–7
Some of life’s most valuable lessons come from experiences we would never have chosen.
Paul speaks about suffering and comfort in a way that challenges our natural desire to find a reason for every hardship.
We don’t need to suggest that God causes suffering simply to make us useful. Instead, we can consider the remarkable way He can redeem even painful experiences.
Grief can deepen empathy. Disappointment can teach patience. Loneliness can make us more attentive to the isolated.
Not every wound becomes a ministry, and healing takes time. But nothing surrendered to God is beyond His ability to redeem.
Something to prayerfully ponder: How specifically can God use the very experiences we wish we could erase to become the places from which we understand others most deeply?
