I recently read a quote that said that our most effective ministry will come out of our deepest hurts. I can attest to that. Because I suffered the pain of rejection and a broken heart at the tender age of 20, I have been able to minister to people who have experienced the indescribable suffering of a relationship gone wrong.

Every time someone tells me about their heartbreak over the loss of a cherished relationship, I feel the pain in my own heart as if it happened only yesterday. This positions me to minister to them in loving and effective ways, and to pray for them with a fervency springing from an "I know how you feel" mentality.

Because I don't know what it's like NOT to have experienced a true broken heart, it amazes me how clueless some people are about this sort of thing. They will talk about a friend who is having trouble loving and trusting people after a broken-heart experience, and they will be totally perplexed over their friend's odd behavior. Basically, they just don't "get it." As a result, they're often not much help to their hurting friends.

I would never have asked to be hurt in such a devastating way those many years ago, but I am deeply grateful for what that experience taught me. It showed me how to relate on a deeper level with people who have put their heart and soul into a relationship, only to be rejected and mistreated by those with whom they believed they had a bright future. Just as the apostle Paul's words state in the verses above, because of my own painful experience, I am able to give comfort to other hurting people, out of the abundant supply of comfort that the Lord has given me.

If you have suffered hurt and heartbreak, my heart goes out to you. Let me encourage you by saying that God will not allow your pain to be wasted, if you will offer it up to Him, and ask Him to use you as His instrument of healing and restoration. May the comfort of Christ continually overflow in your life as you share His comfort with others!

Prayer: Lord, only You know the depth of my hurt and heartbreak. I ask that You comfort and heal me on the basis of Your Word. I offer up to You all of my pain and suffering, and I ask that You use me to minister to others who are hurting, and to draw them to You. Thank You for making me a powerful instrument of healing and restoration for Your glory!

- J. M. Farro