Providing Comfort for Victims of Abuse - HOW CAN WE OFFER COMFORT?

Of course, we are careful not to pry into matter that a fellow Christian prefers to keep private.  (1 Thessalonians 4:11)  What, though, can we do for those who need and want help and comfort?  Let us consider five Scriptural ways in which we may offer comfort.

Offer practical help. When the prophet Elijah was on the run for his life, he was so discouraged that he wished for death. Jehovah sent a mighty angel to visit that discouraged man.  The angel provided very practical help. He gave Elijah a hot meal and encouraged him to eat. (Read 1 Kings 19:5-8.) 
 That account illustrates a useful truth:  Sometimes a simple act of practical kindness can do a great deal of good. Perhaps  a meal, a modest gift, or at thoughtful card would assure a downhearted brother or sister of our love and concern. If we feel uncomfortable discussing very personal or painful subjects, perhaps we can still give such practical help.

Make distressed ones feel safe and comfortable.  We may learn another lesson from the account about Elijah. Jehovah miraculously gave the prophet the help he needed to go all the way to Mount Horeb.  Perhaps at that remote spot, where Jehovah had made   covenant with his people centuries earlier, Elijah felt safe. He may have felt that the was, at last, far out of reach of those who sought to do him harm.  What lesson may we draw?  If we want to offer comfort to victims of abuse, we may need first to help them feel safe.  For instance,  elders should keep in mind that a distressed sister may feel safer and more comfortable having a cup of tea in a relaxed  setting at home than she would in a Kingdom Hall conference room.  Another might feel the opposite. 

Next time: Providing Comfort for Victims of Abuse - Continue with  HOW CAN WE OFFER COMFORT?

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