Comfort as a Friend

2 Corinthians 1:3 - 7

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. ⁵For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. ⁶If 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. ⁷And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

Comfort is something I keep thinking about.  I want to comfort Allie in her time of pain and ease her mind as to her upcoming surgery.  I want to comfort my friend in her sorrow of her mother's passing.    To both I feel helpless, though.  I don't know what I can do to help, except just be there for them, listen to them, and help out when needed.  I know that I am not the only one around them that wants to help and feels like this. 

When I was at my friend's house, she had her husband and a friend there already.  Others came before us, and others came after us.  She knows who she needs for what and who she can count out to help out.  I don't know exactly how she is feeling, because I have never lost my mother.  But I know that someday it will happen and my friend will be there by my side, along with a lot of other loving, caring friends.  In times like these, you need to have that perspective.  There are some things that just are more important than others. 

With Allie, I just have to be there.  I can do more for her because a) I am with her a lot more and b) I am her mother.  I don't know what pain she is feeling and she has my mother, her aunt, and several of you to talk to about it.  But, I know that I am the one she turns to when she needs something, when she is crying, when a decision needs to be made.  As her parents, we are the ones doing a lot of comforting. 

But comfort is also something that both my friend and my daughter know Christ does for you.  During your darkest, neediest moments, He is there with His arms around you, holding you up and letting you cry on His shoulder.  He is there, in the dark, listening to your unspoken fears and questions.  He is the one giving you peace of mind.  And some day, you will thank him for it.  Not today or next week, but sometime in the future.