Scripture: “[So that} when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them this same help and comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:4 TLB).

When I worked at Shriners Institute in Galveston, I saw the awful deformity a wound can cause when it healed.  As an example, if a child was burned in his elbow and tried to hide the ugly scar, soon he couldn’t even open his arm.  You see, scar tissue is much stronger than normal tissue.

This is true of our emotions and our spirits, also.  Our wounds, when healed, become the strongest part of us.  If they are kept secret, hidden from view, they will deform us.  But exercise and exposure will make them the strength of our personalities.

Perhaps this is why God allows our wounds.  When we meet another broken heart and say, “I know. It happened to me also,” we convey real comfort. As we hold our friend and share the pain of our experience, in the empathy of mutual suffering, both of us are strengthened and healed.why