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. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 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. 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.
What does this mean? Are we really supposed to be excited about our sufferings because they remind us of Christ's sufferings? Amazing. But that should be the impact of really focusing on the cross of Christ, right? I mean, I keep praying that I (and the rest of WPC) would be focused on Christ and nothing else. But Paul tells us here that if that happens we will begin to really experience something of what Christ has done for us in our own lives.
Will this be easy? Will this be pretty? Probably not. Sufferings doesn't sound really easy or pretty or fun, but if in these sufferings we also experience Christ's comfort, then it must be worth it.
Focused on Christ,
j.