{{item.title | uppercase}}

“Would you like to see a picture of my great granddaughter?”

I help greet at the church doors for a weekly Bible study I am a part of, and this is the question a woman eagerly asked me as I stood there waiting.

I knew something was different. A feeling washed over me – this moment and this conversation wasn’t just about the picture – there was more.

The woman hastily thumbed through her phone, searching, but seemed disappointed when she couldn’t find it. I told her I would be there a while. We made small talk, and she eventually showed me the photo of her darling great granddaughter.

As I asked questions about the little girl and their relationship, the woman eventually shared that her granddaughter (the little girl’s mother) had taken her own life just five months ago. My heart hurt for this woman, the young girl and this family. I know the heart-wrenching pain, shock, shame, guilt and emotions that come with a loss like this. That month had marked five years since my husband Michael made his way to heaven by suicide.

The woman shared her guilt and questions with me. And I immediately shared a bit of my story and some information on depression and anxiety. We talked through how God doesn’t plan these things, but He allowed it and how suicide never makes sense. I was so thankful to learn she was relying on Jesus and encouraged her to continue leaning on Him and to also seek help through counseling. We chatted for several minutes, she hugged me and we went on our way.

That moment was such a reminder of how God takes terrible circumstances and uses them. And, how He is using what may seem like just a small conversation as a way to help someone who is in the midst of the biggest struggle of their life. What may seem like only a few words to us could be something so much bigger … exactly what someone needed in that moment.

I have said this before – After Michael passed, my prayer was that his death and our pain would not be in vain – But I felt I had to do something huge, start a non-profit or be a missionary who traveled the world, to make a difference. In the last five years, the Lord has shown me that’s not the only way –there is so much to be done in my own community. I am humbled He is using me to help comfort others.

“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.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

He wants to use you too, sister!

Purpose in the Pain

God comforts us in all of our afflictions, but He has a purpose for our comfort. As we look to Him for hope in our suffering, he means to spur us on to comfort others with the same comfort we have received from God. He stands whole-heartedly with us in our suffering so that we will stand whole-heartedly with others.

When we take our eyes off of ourselves and turn them toward God to find strength, we will ultimately find ourselves in a place to turn toward others to offer comfort. But we have to be open. Lean on the One who suffered the greatest hardship of all and ask Him to place people in your path.

I know it’s not always easy, but He can and WILL use your suffering to encourage others.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:13

Lord, Thank You for Your comfort. Thank You for comforting us so that we may comfort others. Some of us may not be in this place yet, but give each of us hope that one day we will. We have faith that You will use our story and our suffering for good. Remind us to lean on You, our great Comforter. Amen.