2 Corinthians 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
One of the mysterious facts of the Christian life is that our wounds and our gifts are usually closely related. As the late Rabbi Abraham Heschel once said, “The man who has not suffered: what does he know anyway?” There is good solid Jewish wisdom in that quip. We do, in fact, recognize that it is only with pain that most of our best understanding of life has been gained. No pain, no gain. But even more than that, no pain, no mercy. We have a special tenderness toward those who are struggling against those things we have ourselves struggled with. That is why groups like AA or Overeaters Anonymous band together. We know we are safe among those who have themselves been afflicted with the torments that trouble us. We know they will not expose us to shame for they themselves have felt the pain we bear. So take a look at the crosses you bear. It may well be that the pain you have endured was a compliment from God and his sign that you are worthy to suffer with his Son for other people. Don’t be surprised if you find that soil of pain bearing fruit in comfort for somebody else. God is in the business of resurrection.
