“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 our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NIV).
A storeowner was tacking a sign in his store window, which read PUPPIES FOR SALE, when a little boy appeared.
“How much are you selling the puppies for?” he asked.
The man told the lad he didn’t expect to let any of them go for less than $50.
The boy reached in his pocket, pulled out some change, looked up at the storeowner and said, “I have two dollars and thirty-seven cents. Can I look at them?”
The storeowner smiled and whistled. From the kennel, a dog named Lady came running down the aisle, followed by five tiny balls of fur. One puppy lagged behind. Immediately, the little boy asked about the limping puppy.
“What’s wrong with that doggie?”
“The veterinarian told us the dog is missing a hip socket,” said the storeowner. “He’ll always limp like that.”
“That’s the one I want to buy,” the lad said quickly.
The storeowner replied, “No, you don’t want to buy that dog. If you really want him, I’ll just give him to you.”
The boy came close to the storeowner’s face and said angrily, “I don’t want you to just give him to me. That doggie is worth just as much as all the other puppies and I’ll pay the full price. In fact, I’ll give you $2.37 now and .50 a month until I have him paid for!”
The storeowner replied, “No, no, no. You don’t want that dog. He’s never going to be able to run and jump and play like the other dogs.”
In response, the little boy pulled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted left leg, supported by two steel braces.
“Well, sir,” he said, “I don’t run so well myself and that puppy will need someone who understands.” (Story from Puppies for Sale and Other Inspirational Tales by Dan Clark)
In 2 Corinthians, Paul wrote: “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 our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NIV).
God does not comfort us simply to make us comfortable. God comforts us to make us comfort-able…able to comfort other people.
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