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Share that blessing, please

 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

Have you ever stopped to consider your 'comfort' may be something you need to not just relish, but give away to others who desperately need that same 'comfort'. God's comfort isn't ours to keep - it is meant to be given away. We all experience troubles, but we don't have to be troubled. We all have the means by which to understand and enjoy 'comfort' in the sense that God is on our side, he knows our troubles better than we do, and he isn't about to abandon us to our own devices in those troubles. 

Comfort is really the reassurance that we aren't alone. We can also think of it as having one stand with us that will bring 'agreement' again to all the parts and pieces that trouble brings into our lives. If you hadn't realized it before, trouble actually brings a bunch of 'mismatched' pieces into our lives and then we are left with a jumble of mess to attempt to figure out. We can attempt to go it alone, madly trying to form those jumbled pieces into something makes sense, or we can take them to God and let him begin the work of sorting them out for us.

Do you know what it means to be 'troubled'? It carries the idea of a disturbance of our mental 'calmness'. Our contentment is disturbed and we begin to worry, get a little agitated, and even get ourselves into a place of deep distress. Trouble isn't something we really want in our lives, but it doesn't have to be the 'undoing' of our mental peace. God is more than capable of sorting out the thoughts that enter into our minds and begin to creep into our hearts - thoughts that are going to do little more than disturb our peace.

Comfort is to be embraced - fully experienced and deeply felt. Comfort isn't an idea - it is more or less a 'feeling'. I have often reminded myself that I am not to live by my 'feelings', but when my comfort begins to be disturbed, that 'feeling' that something is troubling me is a clear indication I need to take all that seems wrong at that moment to God so he can take it from me. Sometimes our 'feelings' are our first indication something isn't quite right with our lives. We need to recognized our 'disturbed comfort' is not a permanent condition, but a momentary reminder we aren't doing life alone.

There come those moments when we can actually help another understand how to achieve 'comfort' again in their spirit, soul, and mind. We must be bold enough to recognize their peace is disturbed and then reach out to bring God's 'comfort' into the moment. We give away God's grace, filling their 'spiritual tanks' with love, and then help them realize God's plan is to bring right order to the crazy mixed up pieces once again. Comfort isn't a privilege - it is a blessing and God's plan for blessings was always to share them! Just sayin!

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