2 Cor 1:3-7 (NIV) Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
NOTE: The verse says that God comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble. So, one of God's purpose in troubles is to create comforters of us. What does it mean to be a comforter? The comfort we want Is relief, but the best comfort is usually understanding, and emotional support. Troubles have purposes. Sometimes they are to draw us closer to God, or to learn to persevere, or to cleanse us from the love of the world, or to help us be comforters. And most times, it is all of those things. Is there a magic formula to avoid troubles? I wish, although I do suppose a certain lifestyle seems to make troubles less needed. A lifestyle characterized by thankfulness, contentment, a heart after God, a heart for people, an ability to wait, and a recognition of the pain in the world. Well, at least, that is what troubles have shown me thus far.
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