Recently, on one of my work travels, I was at the train station. As the time for my train approached, I made my way to the platform. The station was buzzing that day, as there had been a couple of cancellations and strikes were looming. Everyone was in a hurry, and I was hurrying too, as I wanted to make it home. In the rush, there was a lady moving rather slowly and causing a delay. As I approached, I noticed she had a limp. She was trying to manage her steps while also carrying her luggage. It was at this point that I stopped, allowing her to take her steps carefully. As we approached the staircase, I asked her if she wouldn’t mind me helping with her luggage. That way, she could focus on gradually coming down the stairs. She was so thankful especially when it turned out that we were boarding the same train.
You see, the lady didn’t realize that I wasn’t just a willing helper. I had been where she was. I knew what it felt like to walk with a limp. I also knew the frustration of being unable to keep up with the pace of others. I understood exactly what she was going through. A few months earlier, I had tripped and fallen at home, injuring my right knee so badly i couldn’t walk for several days. I needed x-rays, wore a knee brace for a few weeks, and attended some physiotherapy sessions. My knee had become swollen and painful. To compensate for the pain, I began limping and still have a slight residual limp to this day. So I didn’t need to ask how much pain she was in. I could relate to her limp from mine. Seeing her struggle reminded me of the intermittent pain I still feel in my own knee.
I don’t like hard times. They are tough and challenging and if i had the choice, I’d rather avoid them. But I’ve found that these are the very experiences God uses most in my life. He uses them to grow and refine me. They also become tools – tools of comfort and hope for others. I’ve seen Him soften my heart, making me more tender and compassionate in the very areas I’ve been hurt the most. While God doesn’t cause our pain, He allows it for a greater purpose – to bring encouragement, healing, strength, and comfort to those who will one day walk a similar path, if we’ll let Him.
Today, I don’t know what kind of pain or hardship you’ve experienced. Maybe it’s rejection, loss, unmet expectations, betrayal, or wounds of the heart. I want to encourage you with today’s scripture: “who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God”. Nothing we ever experience is wasted in God’s hands. In our distress, He comforts us, and in turn, He uses us to comfort others who are hurting.
Receive His comfort today, and let that comfort flow through you as a fragrance, offering hope to those He brings your way.
Be encouraged: in His hands, nothing is ever wasted. He uses it all for His glory.
Treasure in Earthen Vessels 