“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 tribulation,
that we may be able to comfort those
who are in any trouble,
with the comfort with which we
ourselves are comforted by God.”
2nd Corinthians 1:3-4

We are not alone in our trials and tribulations, for it is there that we experience God in depths that can only be experienced through suffering. And the depths of comfort we receive from our God in those times, we later are able to comfort others with.

This makes Christianity stand out from all other religions. Our God is real, he cares, he’s involved, and he demonstrates his care for us in very PERSONAL ways. It’s not book knowledge, it’s a living relationship with the living Creator who truly loves us.

So if he loves us, why does he let us suffer? Because suffering matures us and brings us to realize what really matters. When everything’s going just fine thank you, we will not have any depth within ourselves, and God loves us too much to leave us there.

As in the “Footprints In The Sands” picture, we do not go through it alone. His footprints are always beside ours. And sometimes …he carries us.