Comfort

I am amazed that I was led to 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (NIV) for today's blog in these times of pandemic and social distancing. Nine times in those five short verses the apostle Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to repeat the word comfort. Notice the first two verses of that passage:

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.

God is the source of all comfort. The reason He comforts us in our troubles is so we can pass it on to our neighbors. Let's ponder just a few of the ways we can comfort others during COVID-19:

• Offer condolences and sympathy for loss.
• Share empathy and commiseration during hard times. We are all in this together.
• Communicate cheer or an offer to help. Perhaps run an errand for someone who can't.
• Speak a kind or encouraging word via phone, text, or social media.
• Visit with a neighbor from 10 feet across the yard. Social distance doesn't mean isolation. Many are lonely during these times.
• Try to love like Jesus...from a safe distance perhaps wearing a mask.



photo by Hannah Morgan on unsplash.com

• Emulate the God of compassion.

What can you do to follow the example of our God of all comfort? Please share your ideas in the comment section of this blog.