The Snowball Effect of Comforting Others
How God May Use You to Comfort People You Don't Even Know
Discouragement is a common problem in today's world. The good news is, we have a God who comforts the downcast, and also sends people to comfort them. If you're in need of comfort today, my prayer is that God Himself will comfort you, and will send others to your side to comfort you as well.
But what I'd really like to address today is the snowball effect of comforting others. Note that in the above passage of Scripture, God comforted Paul by sending Titus to him. But it didn't stop there; Paul was comforted even more when he heard about how Titus had been comforted by the church in Corinth.
When we comfort someone, we seldom think of how the comfort we give them, will in turn comfort others. If you take this to the logical conclusion, the "others" who are comforted will, perhaps, comfort more people, who will perhaps comfort more people, and thus, the snowball effect of comforting others continues.
We have no way of really knowing how far the word of encouragement we speak today will go, but it is an amazing thing to think about. Taking the time to encourage someone today may have a far-reaching impact, even beyond what we can imagine. How encouraging is that!
So comfort someone today. Give a word of encouragement or a smile, or perhaps lend a hand to a friend or stranger in need. You never know who might be comforted and encouraged by your one act of kindness!
Father, we thank You that You are the God of all comfort. We thank You that You are always present, and always willing to comfort our hearts as we turn to You. We also thank You that you use others to comfort us, and in turn use us to comfort others. Help us to take the time to comfort and encourage people on a regular basis, starting today. -- Amen.
Thought: Spend some time either in prayer or in your journal considering how God may want to use you to comfort and encourage others. As you do, pay attention to specific people who come to mind, and make a point of going out of your way to comfort and encourage them. You never know where that might lead!
Published by Rebecca Livermore - Featured Contributor in Travel and Lifestyle
Rebecca Livermore has been a freelance writer since 1993. Although she started off writing for print magazines, in recent years she has switched her focus to writing for the web. She writes on many subjects,... View profile
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17 Comments
Post a CommentRebecca-
Whether from a Bible-based perspective like your article, or from a more purely secular point of view (like in the movie, "Pay It Forward," the point is well taken and one of those things (few though they may be!) in life that seem to be universally true - or, as the young people say, "What goes around, comes around."
Good thoughts for the New Year!
David
What a nice message. Very well done. Merry Christmas to you. :-)
Super! If we fail to comfort others, how are we to expect the same should we need it? We should all step out of our precious inner circle and see the world around us. God bless you!
What a wonderful encouraging article.
Excellent work. Very good read. Enjoyed.
What a great read!!...Excellent!!
Great article! An awesome principle and always a good reminder.
Godly principles always work. How wonderful!
I really believe in paying it forward too. Excellent article Rebecca.
This reminds me of yesterday's news about the goodwill chain at Starbucks where each customer paid for the coffee of the customer behind him. Good things do spread if we take the time to make them happen.