A friend of ours lost her 90-year-old mother the other day. I know exactly what she’s going through emotionally, having my mom pass in March. I found the following passage from 2 Corinthians to be very appropriate:

“He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Having a loved one die recently and knowing how God has comforted me through the tough times since then, He also has given me greater empathy and the ability to say the right things at a time like this. That hasn’t always been the case — for most of my life, I’ve mumbled the usual platitudes like “I’m sorry for your loss” or worse.

God’s comfort is a gift that keeps on giving. Once He has comforted you in a loss, you’re in a much better position to offer true solace to a friend in a difficult time.

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

By the way, you can now listen to this post if you’re busy and don’t have time to read it!