When You've Been There

Hello dear readers! I've missed being able to write my blog as frequently as I used to.  In this new chapter of life, a full-time job takes up most of my time, and my hours outside of work are spent with my husband and maintaining my home. There is a familiar verse which has taken on new meaning for me as I have been meditating on it recently: 1 Thess. 5:18 - "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Although I may be doing something other than what I would like to be doing with my life right now, and at times I feel like I am missing out on so much, because I know that this is God's will for me at this time I can have (or at least try to have!) a positive attitude of thanksgiving. We all have circumstances in our lives which are not to our liking. It isn't easy, but if we remember that everything is ordered by the Lord and is His will for us right now, that goes a long way toward helping us to be content.

The other day at work I was speaking to a customer on the phone and was attempting to give them directions to a meeting that was being held at another location. I have a good resource book that I use to give directions, but because I have never personally been to the place in question, when the customer began asking specific questions I had to hand the call off to someone else who had actually been there and was better able to help them. I couldn't help but notice the correlation between actually having "been there" and the ability to answer their questions.

Did you ever notice that when you are talking to someone and you find that you both have been to the same place, you have an instant rapport with them? You compare notes and swap stories about where you've been, as only those who are intimately acquainted with a place can do.

Likewise, when we share a common life experience with someone, it puts us in a unique position to relate to that person in a special way. That's why support groups are so popular - we know that others who are or have been in our same situation can really understand and relate to what we are going through. I am convinced that God's design for us is to use all the experiences that He gives us to minister to others who might be going through similar circumstances. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

How can we use our having "been there" to minister to someone else?

Remember -"this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." This is what God has for you right now, and remember that His desire is that we glorify Him in everything. One way of doing that is remembering that because God has equipped us with having "been there," we in turn may be able to help and comfort others who are going through similar trials.

Reach out - It is very easy to get wrapped up in our lives, to feel like we are the only ones going through this, and to shut others out. There is no lack of opportunity to minister to others, only a lack of vision. We need to be looking for people who may be experiencing what we have already been through and for opportunities to encourage them. If we realize that God may have a ministry for us of encouraging others as a result of our having "been there," we need to actively pray and seek to be used by Him.

Rely on the Lord - Rely on the Lord for wisdom and for help in being a blessing to others. As a pastor's wife I used to worry about saying the right things and having the right answers when it came to helping others. I remember when I finally realized I didn't have the answers or the ability to help people, and that only God did. I felt like a huge weight was lifted off me. I don't have all the answers - and you don't either - but God does, and all we need to do is point people to Him. Relying on the Lord in our weakness is what Paul was talking about in 2 Cor. 12.

What have you experienced in your life that God can use to encourage someone else? Infertility? The death of a spouse, parent, or child? Being a care-giver? Losing a job? Children leaving the nest? Illness? Moving?  Have you been there? You can help someone else who needs your encouragement.

Til next time,
Kathi