“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 receive from God.  Or just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” -2 Corinthians 1:3-5

 

Let me share a story I read recently about a missionary. She was walking through a medical clinic in a third world country. She saw several people waiting to take a turn to see the doctor. Most of them were there for cataract surgery.

 

The sun on the island is so intense, most of the people worked outdoor jobs and so the incidences from cataracts was very high. Many of the people had blurred vision. Most of the islanders were uneducated and would go to the clinic to find out why they were losing their sight but would not take advantage of what the clinic had to offer. The clinic was performing small miracles. For a long time they still would not let the clinic help and continued to believe it could not help. 

 

After a few years the people working at the clinic asked those who had the surgery to go into the village and share their  experience of success with others. They became story tellers of how their sight was restored. They were so overwhelmed with joy and gratitude that they shared with every person who would listen. Their stories could not be contained. They had to tell it, they had to find others like themselves who needed to hear it, and to believe it.

 

The story tellers would introduce themselves and share their experience on how a simple procedure could change their vision and life.

 

Here we see how the people who found sight were able to convince others to come to the clinic.

 

To me it illustrates how we, who see the blessings of knowing Christ as our restorer of life, who has helped us go through our life struggles and turn them into joy. It is our turn to be their story teller of how Christ can change others lives.

 

As Paul says in verse 4–they would be able to comfort others who needed the same comfort. Trials and struggles are never easy, but it is through those circumstances  that God can shape and mold our character.

 

We see people who are lost and struggling with life and the circumstance they are in and we as people who know the love and compassion of Christ should come alongside them and open their eyes to the Savior Jesus Christ. We are blessed to share the good news to the loved-starved world around us. It is not the words, but our actions bringing others to see God’s love.

 

As spring will be here soon, let us plan to show sight, or clear sight to others around us. This is the Gospel in action; serving the poor and the marginalized in the name of Jesus Christ. God, who is the source of all compassion felt compassion so deeply that He was willing to go with the knowledge of sending His son to be the ultimate compassion for us.

 

The missionary that same day saw a man holding the doctor and saying “I see, I see, I can see!” Wouldn’t you like to hear the same because of your love in action?

 

Have a wonderful spring. God bless.

 

In His steps,

Pastor Shaker