“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.” 2 Corinthians 1: 3-4


Life has been especially tricky the past few weeks. We are smack in the middle of cleaning up after a 600 gallon flood in our house that basically took out everything it touched. We are essentially living in a construction zone, trying to get by as best we can – keeping schedules, doing homework, attempting to eat dinner together – all challenging given the chaos in the house.

But somehow, this has been a blessing. We have spent more time together because there are fewer rooms to disappear into. We are pulling together tighter because we have to lean on each other. And, our friends and family have prayed, helped and been there for encouragement. I have been overwhelmed by the love and support I have received.

In the past several days, the weather across much of our nation has resulted in devastation that is hard to comprehend. When I see coverage of towns that were essentially wiped off the map, my heart breaks. It fills my heart with prayers for those affected.

It also makes me walk through my own house with a fresh set of eyes. My loved ones are safe and unhurt. I cannot complain when I still have a roof over my head, clothes to put on and food in the kitchen. There is so much to be thankful for. So much that others do not have right now.

My prayer is that those impacted will feel the love of their Savior. That they will know He is with them and see that love demonstrated through the actions of others. I believe our struggles are, in part, a preparation to step in and help others when their troubles are much greater.

God has comforted me and kept me going through many trials. I know that He is with me now. I also know that He is with every single suffering person whose life was turned inside out this week. He is there to comfort. We need to hang on and let Him.