Who Can I Help? And How Can I Help Them?

The high temperature in Little Rock today was about twenty degrees cooler than yesterday's high. I noticed on Facebook that people were talking about that strange Arkansas weather phenomenon: "If you don't like the weather in Arkansas, just hang around a couple of days and it will change."

I was in Alaska in November 2010. Guess what I heard while up there?

I was in Florida last month. Guess what I heard while down there?

So everybody thinks their weather patterns are the strangest.

The truth is, unless you live in San Diego or Hawaii or the North Pole, the weather's going to change every few days. It's not so much that saying "If you don't like the weather..." is wrong, just that thinking where you are is so unique is a little narrow minded.

Read this passage of scripture that Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth:

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.

(2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV)

I talk to people who think that only a person who has experienced the same problem someone else faces is qualified to minister them. "Well, I just don't know what it's like to ___________. There's no way I can help her." Read the verse again.

I also talk to people who think that you ministry is limited by your experiences. "You're divorced so you must be so good at counseling people who are divorced that it's all you do." Read the verse again.

The God of all compassion and comfort ministers to us so that we can minister to anyone facing any trouble. The experience is not the key; God is.

When we use experiences to limit or pigeon-hole our ministries, we place too much emphasis on the problem. And not enough emphasis on God.

Would you rather focus on your problem or on God? Focus on God and the comfort he's given you through your tough times. And find ways to comfort and encourage someone else who is going through difficult circumstances.