2 Corinthians 1:5-7
5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 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. 7 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.
The closer we get to Christ’s sufferings, the more we experience His comforting presence. This is a difficult concept to understand. This will be one of Paul’s key themes in this letter. He will defend his ministry before the criticism of certain opponents in Corinth by boasting in his sufferings and weaknesses. So, how do we grow in our sufferings? Suffering should help us refocus the object of our hope. If we put our hope in things of this world, we will be disappointed and discouraged when these things begin to deteriorate, grow sick, fall apart, or are removed. Those who suffer because of economic challenges, hunger, or illness can either let their situation defeat them or put their trust more in God. Paul writes here about his sufferings could give comfort to the Corinthians. As he endured through his hardships, the Corinthians would be encouraged that they too could make it through their sufferings. We find strength for our own journeys when we see how others have made it through their own struggles. It is not easy to imagine how our own suffering helps others because we become focused on our own pain. But if we can see through our pain and see how it can be a help to others, we will find more strength to endure.
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