comfort

Do you have an instinctive response to comfort your friends when they encounter afflictions? If your friends are spiritually immature do you find that the comfort they want is for you to affirm their condemnation of their enemies? If you are spiritually mature are you reluctant to do this? You should be. How do you comfort someone in pain without facilitating their bitterness and resentment? You can offer them sympathy for their pain. You can point out that the person that they regard as their enemy isn’t the real problem. You can realize that the true comforter is the Holy Spirit and receive wisdom to minister to those who are not able to receive it directly.