Comforting out of Your Comfort

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 have received from God. – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

None of us wake up in the morning hoping for trouble or suffering. But sometimes they just show up uninvited, without warning. 

While preparing to teach a class later that day, the phone rang. “Mrs. Busse this is officer Margo with the Boulder Police. Your son has been in a bicycle accident. He’s in the back of an ambulance now. I suggest you come down here. We’re right around the corner from the high school.”

The first question that popped out of my mouth was “Was he was wearing his bike helmet?” After a short pause and discussion with the EMT’s, she confirmed my fear. NO he was not wearing the helmet I’d bought him. Helmets weren’t “cool” in 9^th grade. The exact reason for our argument at that morning’s breakfast. 

Standing next to the ambulance with its back doors swung open, I could see blood dripping down my son’s face. There was a deep gash on the side of his head where he’d crashed into the asphalt after flipping over his bike. A spot that would have certainly been protected by a helmet.

When our eyes locked, my son smiled and chuckled, “It’s ok mom. I’m fine.” I hung my head fearing this was just the beginning of a long and dangerous road ahead. Raising a teenager who thinks he’s invincible is sure to bring unwanted heartache and intense suffering. It did.

Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, praises God for being the Father of Jesus and our Father of compassion who comforts us in all our troubles so we can comfort others with the same comfort we received from God. 

Isn’t that amazing? God has a purpose for our troubles and sufferings! He comforts us with compassion so we can turn around and comfort others facing similar troubles. That’s wonderful news, but if you’d told me that while I was walking through the lowest valleys with my son, ant any one of his several accident scenes, I might have punched you in the mouth. (Just keeping it real.)

My suffering was too excruciating at the time to turn to someone else and offer them help. I had to cling to God with both hands and pray that my son would make it through high school alive. I called these cries to God my S.O.S. prayers. Every day when my 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call alarm sounded, I’d look up to God and shout, “Save Our Son!”

Now years later, my hands still pray for my son but the first thing out of my mouth is not “HELP!” it’s “Thank you God!” After having endured the valleys of suffering and reached a good place with my son, my hands are free to hold another mother’s hands that are wringing with worry about her son.

I can comfort others with the same compassion and comfort I received from God. I can also teach truths about God that I have learned along the way. Here are several precious ones I call GO with God:

• God never leaves us, especially while we walk through troubles and painful times.
• Our loved ones are loved by God even more than we love them.
• God is available 24/7. We can cry out to Him all day and night.
• Our trust in God only grows during a time of trouble and testing.
• God still performs miracles today. He’s looking for people who will believe He does.
• Our troubles and trials have the power to transform us into Jesus’ likeness.
• God’s plans far exceed our biggest dreams.
• Our suffering will not last forever. 

Whatever troubles come today, know that God is right by your side comforting you. He will see you through the valleys and eventually bring you to other side. As you stand thanking God, don’t forget to look back and comfort others who find themselves in those same valleys God has brought you through. 

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank you for being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement