"Comfort"

No one knows ‘bout what you feel,

Though they may say they do,

But what they feel belongs to them,

And they are just not you.

People try to empathize,

And we appreciate,

But they cannot know everything,

Though they might relate.

Maybe they just come ‘longside,

Sometimes that’s all we need,

Just to let us know they care,

Until our burden’s freed.

In fact a caring presence,

A smiling face, a touch,

Might not even say a word,

But closeness means so much.

And one more thing that I will say,

‘Bout what you’re going through,

There is One who knows you best,

And He is there for you.

He loves you without measure,

His grace can heal your heart,

No matter what the challenge is,

It can’t keep you apart,

From the peace He offers you,

The strength to overcome,

And you’ll look back and give Him thanks,

Before your life is done.

‘Cause in the end the obstacles,

And pain along the way,

Are not what we’ll remember,

But that God’s love was our stay.

And those who walked through with us,

And wouldn’t let us go,

We don’t need a crowd of them,

Just one or two who know.

So be the one who takes the time,

Not “I know how you feel,”

But I am here to be with you,

Share comfort that is real.

“He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others…” (2 Corinthians 1:4, NLT)

We must be careful about saying “I know how you feel.” Truth is, we really don’t know how they feel. We may have some idea because we’ve had a similar experience, but every individual is unique and so are their feelings. The thing we can do is be a comforting, caring presence who points them the One who really does know how they feel! Giving comfort is a special ministry, and a great opportunity to share God’s love. When people are hurting, they will remember what we did and said that made a difference. It is important not to waste that chance to point them to the One who has given us comfort. He is the source of all comfort. Praise the Lord.

Lord, teach us how to share Your comfort with others who need it, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Keith Batcheller, used by permission. Thanks, Keith, and God bless you.