One Sunday, when my grandson was two years old, he was in the church nursery, playing.
Turning suddenly, he accidentally hit a playmate on the head with his toy. She began to cry.
I asked him, “what do you say when you hit somebody on the head?” The answer I expected was, “sorry”. Instead, he looked thoughtful for a moment then replied, “Bonk”?
Every now and then; we can find ourselves searching for the right words to bring comfort to someone. Sometimes, no words come and we struggle to find a word that “works”.
There are other times when “I’ve been there” gives us words of comfort at just the right moment. Life has many sorrows. It is through our own life events that we are able to fully understand the suffering of others.
When people hurt, unless directed by the Spirit, the best comfort we can give is a hug or just being quietly close by. Our being there can “say” more than words. Often, more than anything else, hurting people simply need the strength drawn from the knowledge that they aren’t alone.
(II Corinthians 1:3-4) Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 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.