Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 2 Cor 1:4

I got an earache last night. I’ve never in my life had an earache before, but last night I woke up with it hurting and couldn’t go back to sleep because of the pain. There’s just no way to get comfortable on your pillow when your inner ear is hurting!

My daughter, Sophie had tubes put in her ears when she was 2. She had so many ear infections that they had to do the surgery on her. I cared for her, I felt bad for her and very sad to see her in pain, but I never felt so much care for her situation until last night. I walked in her shoes for just a few short steps last night. And it made me think totally different about the pain she endured night after night for so long.

The Lord Jesus Christ knows our sufferings first hand. He suffered temptation, hunger, grief and pain. He’s been where we’ve been and that’s what makes him such a loving friend. He knows what we’re going through and cares as one who has been through the pain.

When we go through pain also, God gives us the special gift of being able to use that suffering to minister to others. If you’ve even had a close friend pass away, you’ll be able to comfort others whose friends have recently passed, much more than if it had never happened to you. If your parents have been divorced, you’ll be able to cry with your friend when his parents are splitting up. When we go through pain, we lose the edge, we lose the judgemental attitude. We lose the know-it-all arrogance, and we realize how helpess we are.

We turn to Christ, and we become that much more suited to point others to Christ as well.