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
Rocks are not the best pillows. Lying out under the stars, gazing up at the night sky while using hard ground as a headrest is a bit fun among ideas for roughing it – but only for a short time.
And since we are not made of stone, we like physically soft stuff for clothing, and protection from the elements.
The same is true of our hearts and minds.
While we are tough, we need comfort at times because we feel and experience many things. This includes pain; some of which is avoidable. Some is not.
So why does God not just stop all the craziness we experience individually and as a nation?
It is because, as people, we make decisions – good and bad, that affect ourselves and others. But God offers to be there for us and we are free to decide to let Him in our lives to help us – or not.
And if we do not completely turn away from God during our suffering, we can make it through, and this is how we are able to be there for others.
Sometimes a healing or restorative process takes years, or longtime maintenance of our thoughts and fears to ensure we are not living in the past, but thriving instead, stronger in spite of all we have experienced.
Thankfully, God is the first to show us what “being there for somebody” is all about.
He can do this because He personally knows what suffering is.
He watched His only son die on a cross for all future generations, knowing those future people would be free to accept or reject what His son, Jesus, did for them – an act that, when received, is a life changer.
Look at why this matters.
This is how we gain trust in God’s faithfulness, and then pass it on to others:
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:6-11
We see here how God does the greatest thing. He is there for us in a way we could never do for ourselves.
He gave His own son for us, and then gives us the choice to accept or reject this immense sacrifice He made so we could know Him through our own choice!
And in verse 11, we are reminded that God provides salvation, not us.
Not through our own works, or our own control, but through His – through Christ’s work on the cross and through His rising from the dead so we could be raised from the death that our sin causes us.
It is not a religion to practice. It is a relationship with God to live out based on His initiative and faithfulness, and our trust in response to Him. Nothing is forced. It is a gift given out of love with no expectation of return. This is what makes the difference in how we get through anything and are not overwhelmed beyond repair.
Yet, some people cannot get over suffering that resulted from a personal mistake or something done against them by someone else. It is a poor self-protection to stick with the wrong as if it is acceptable, and even justify it for lack of anywhere to turn.
They will hold, regardless how self and other destructive a reactive behavior, to the bitter end because these people have no one to go through problems with them. There is no covering where healing can even get started, no place to bring the unknowns or broken boundaries, the solutions blurred to them. They are, at times, going it alone with pain on top of more pain with no source of trustworthy comfort.
We have to remember that people around us who seem unable to land on their feet are many times going through something absolutely beyond them to deal with.
Unfortunately, these same people might also believe God has let them down and would never want to help them.
They may not want to turn to God because they hold a false belief that if they did go to Him, they could find He would let them down as people have, and He was the last hope they had. To them it makes perfect sense not to risk the most important, possible loss. They then continue surviving moment by moment, barely living. The only good thing about this false belief is this belief exists because human beings know God exists.
These men, women and children need to know God loves them so they can bring their pain to Him whether another human being is present in their lives who could ever possibly understand enough to help them through.
Those who have healed, and are back up and running, need to be there for those who are not yet. We cannot take God’s place to fill a void only God can fill in our lives. But we can certainly seek God’s guidance and help, with His strength and wisdom.
If you know someone who is harsh, defensive and seems always frustrated – those people are the most in need of knowing God loves and wants to heal them.
But, God does not force anyone to accept anything He offers whether it be His salvation or His comfort. This is why it is not always easy to be there for others. Every person must choose to trust, and if someone you know is having a tough time trusting God, they most likely will have a difficult time believing that you are trustworthy, too.
Keep being available, and leave them in God’s capable hands through your prayers. If it seems nothing is happening, do not worry.
Remember God’s timing and ways are not ours.
He is working in and through each of us, not wasting anything, always why it is possible for us to be there for somebody.
