Joel M Bradshaw

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.–2 Corinthians 1

1. As a care pastor who oversees support groups in a church, these verses are precious to me.
2. As a doctoral student, I plan on making them the basis for my upcoming dissertation. I plan on making this also a later book I will publish.
3. God comforts us when we need it.
4. He then sovereignly brings us people into our lives who have the same story as us.
5. God then equips us to care for those people with the same comfort we received from God.
6. People with “wounds” listen to people with “scars.” This has been my ministry theme for over 10 years.
7. You can think of yourself as a cup being filled by God. But as you mature in faith, you will also turn into a pitcher that is able to pour out that comfort into someone else’s cup. Your “scar” can give perspective to another’s “wound.” Where are you at in this?–JMB