All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too. (2 Corinthians 1:3-5, The Message)
Paul makes an important point as he starts his second letter to the Corinthians. Our hard times have a purpose. I think it is similar to what we now call “paying forward,” The guy in front of me in line at a store pays for my bill. Paul does not seem to be saying hard times are about God punishing us for our sins nor that there is some secret lesson he is trying to teach us. Hard times often result from laws of nature. The people who were so affected by huricaine Helene were not bad people. People who died from Covid were not bad people. We live in a fallen world. When I get drunk and loose control of my car, that is not God’s fault. These verses say that God walks with us during our trials and comforts us. We are never alone. But also even as God comforts us, we can then turn around and comfort another going through a similar hard time. I find it comforting that life is not just random events but there is a God who comforts me so that I can comfort others in their rough days. Comfort…C is for ______, O is for _____, M is for _____, Fis for _____, O is for _____, and T is for _____. Blessmg as you face the challenges of today.
On the Way to Wonder 