“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who 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. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5, ESV).
Years ago, when I was pastoring in a small town in Canada, we met a young Christian woman who lived out the truth of this verse. She was one of those people who seemed to experience heartache after heartache.
Sometime after her husband left her and their four children, her beautiful four-year-old daughter began to appear ill. It turned out that the child had leukemia, and the disease took her life. I cannot begin to describe the incredible anguish—the wailing and the depth of sorrow—that came into that mother’s heart.
A few months later, a different lady in our community was told that she had only a short while to live. She was not a Christian, and she shut everyone out, choosing to live in total darkness and despair. Many of us attempted to visit and encourage her, but she refused to open her door to anyone…until one day. This young mother went over to the woman’s house and said, “Wait! Before you shut the door, I want to tell you that I recently lost my daughter to leukemia. I understand what you’re going through.”
The door opened, and the young mother ended up not only leading this woman to Christ but also walking with her through her difficult days until she went home to be with the Lord.
There are times when we have to ask: What is the value of a soul? Is it worth it? What price did God pay for a soul? I hope you are beginning to see how unwise we are if we live only to escape every difficulty, as if the gospel we pursue is somehow only for the sake of making us comfortable! Every trial we go through is an opportunity for the testimony of Christ to be made manifest in our lives. Learning to thank God for the trials is critical not only for our sake but for those around us.
Carter Conlon joined the pastoral staff of Times Square Church in 1994 and was appointed Senior Pastor in 2001. In May of 2020 he transitioned into a continuing role as General Overseer of Times Square Church, Inc.