Winner has been selected. Thank you all!
If you have been following, we have been posting weekly video devotionals from Laura Story. Today she is sharing about chapter 19 of her devotional book, what if your blessings come through raindrops. You can win a copy of the book and an autographed CD by answering the question, What is the most comforting thing a friend did for you when you were going through a trial?
“We see the apostle paul in 2 corinthians chapter 1 talking about the comfort that He shows His children in affliction… Sometimes it takes walking through a hard chapter yourself to know how to comfort others…Sometimes there are blessings when we walk through hard trials so that we can comfort others who come after us…”
- Laura Story
The year that my dad died, I was going through the usual grieving process. My dad died the beginning of February. My husband and I soon thereafter, started practicing for a community Easter cantata. I still had an over abundance of emotions and I had my teary eyed moments. I am an alto. I got assigned to sit next to a lady (who happend to be the wife of a pastor from another church). I just feel like she took me under her wing and I felt so much more calmer when I went to choir practice and was around her. She helped me through my grieving process.
Last year I went to the clinic at my school in Indonesia to see what was wrong with my leg because I couldn't walk, I was dizzy whenever I sat up, and I kept throwing up. The doctor at the clinic looked at my leg and felt it and said I might have compartment syndrome. I had no idea what that meant and I was so scared. She took me to a cot in another room where a nurse got the IV ready to put into my body. I listened to the doctor pacing outside the room talking with a local doctor whose hospital was in a town two hours away. I heard her tell the doctor that it was an emergency situation and that I needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible. With that I began crying and texting my close friend to pray for me because I was so scared. Instead of texting me back she came to the clinic and held my hand as the nurse put the IV into my arm. Katie, my friend, talked to me and asked me how my hike to the waterfall was. She let me squeeze her hand as the nurse kept trying to put the IV into my arm (it took three tries) and she let me cry without feeling guilt or shame. She stayed with me as I was put in a wheelchair and then put in my car. She stayed as my car drove away and she told me she loved me and that she was praying for me. I don't think I can forget that day or the simple kindness she showed me. It blessed my heart so much and calmed some of my fears. Little did I know that my leg was actually in danger of being amputated and that my life was even at risk. Many prayers and much kindness was shown to me by the body of Christ through the following months of pain and suffering.
I am in the midst of a trail right now, and it is the hardest thing to go through. My bible study leader has been a wonderful friend to me and a should to lean on in my time of need. She is always there with an attentive ear and never judges me because of my situation. I am very thankful for her friendship at this time and her always checking in with me to make sure I am doing okay and to encourage and pray for me. I don't know what I would do without her right now! What a blessing she is.
I have constant pain & cannot work, then my husband was out of work for almost 2 years & we lost everything except our house. The best help I got was from a friend who was there to comfort me & really understood what we were going through. She wasn't there with just the "I will pray for you." or "How come you don't do this or that?" that most people did if they even talked to you. She even sacrificed of her own self to make sure we knew she was there to help.
The most comforting thing a friend did was understand. Another actually pitched in without me asking and helped with some house work I had to do on my own since I could not afford to pay anyone. When you have hard times, you really find out who your real friends are. In a way, that is a true blessing, too, to really know who you can count on.
I was hit by a truck on my bicycle and I was in alot of physical pain before I got saved, I had dropped to my knees and asked God to take the pain, as I could not take it on my own anymore. Shortly after I had started seeing signs from God, and I didn't know what to do. So I got in touch with an old friend Tommy who had given his life to Christ 20 years ago. I had not spoken to him since he found Christ, I found him on Facebook, and I sent him a message. He sent me his phone # immediately told me to call, and we spoke for hours on the phone. He told me that God was drawing near to me, because I asked Him into my heart, and He needs me to draw near to Him. So he prayed for me, and told me about a book called Drawing Near, by John Bevere. I read the prayer in the book when told to do so, and was completely filled with the Holy Spirit.
The most comforting thing a friend has ever done for me during a time of trial is quietly come up beside me and put her arms around me and just hold me and allow me to release my pain through tears and then offer to pray with me. There is something about that release of tears - and when someone physically acts as God and their arms feel like His, what great comfort and peace it brings - what release, it gave me the freedom to release the pain through my tears because I suddenly felt God's love in the safety of His arms. It taught me that we can be the Lord's arms for those who need to feel Him. God Bless all you do.
My youth pastor's wife has been an amazing person in my life over the past couple months. Even though she didn't know about what I've been going through, she let me know that she was there for me. When I finally decided to talk to someone, it was her. She just listened, then gave her advice. It was so nice for me to just let everything out without interuptions. I never told anyone before her that I was going through a rough time, but she knew. When I asked to talk to her, she said she had been wanting to talk to me, so I know that was a huge God thing. Because I knew she was willing to talk to me, it made it so much easier.
I had broken my leg and when I went to the hospital to get it fixed I was given Flesh Eating Bacteria. I almost died and after they got me stable enough to survive an operation, the doctor wanted to cut my leg off. After 18 surgeries in 2 and a half years, by the grace of God, I am still here and I still have my leg. My son's truck broke down and I did not have the money to have it repaired and normally would have repaired it myself. Two friends came over and rebuilt the engine for me. It was a great blessing for them to do this for me and my son who is a student and is not working. Thank you Lord and thank you Mike and Kwok.