Bringing Comfort to Others

"[God] comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those in any sort of tribulation through the comfort with which we ourselves are being comforted by God." -2 Corinthians  1:4.

Many true Christians have experienced firsthand what those words mean. Having received comfort to cope with the loss of a loved one, they find that they are able to give encouragement and comfort to others. 

Consider the example of Claudette, who regularly visits others to share her Bible-based beliefs. Before she lost her son, she had been visiting a woman whose son had leukemia. The woman enjoyed the visits, but she felt that Claudette would never fully comprehend her pain. However, soon after Claudette's son died, the woman visited her and told her that she had come to see if Claudette still maintained her faith now that her son had died. Impressed by  Claudette's strong faith, the woman is having a regular Bible study with Claudette and is finding much comfort from God's Word. 

After losing his father, Leonardo decided to learn sign language so that he could share the Bible's comforting message with deaf individuals. He has found that his efforts to help the deaf have greatly benefited him.  He says: "One of the things that has helped me to cope with my grief is my desire to help the deaf to learn about God. I have dedicated  a lot of time and energy to helping them.  My feelings of sadness turned to joy when I saw my first Bible student get baptized in reality, for the first time since my father's death, I felt a deep sense of happiness." -Acts 20:35.

Next time: Draw Close to God-"He Is Not Far Off From Each of Us" 

From the Watchtower magazine, 2008