“who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” — 2 Corinthians 1:4 NIV

I’m on a lot of mailing lists for ministers, and from time to time I get brochures advertising travel tours to Israel, the Holy Land, and others that follow the footsteps of the Apostle Paul, to places where he would have passed on his missionary journey. I’ve yet to receive a brochure that didn’t talk up the experience and knowledge of the tour guide. I’m sure no one would pay the price to book a tour to be led by someone who has never been there.

It doesn’t have to be a travel tour, in most areas of life, if someone has been there, done that, gained the experience, what they have to say is far more valuable than someone who hasn’t. People will listen to the voice of experience, and that is true for whatever troubles or trials you have survived.

Your story on whatever awful thing you’ve been through is the very words that someone who is going through a similar thing needs to hear. You survived it, you navigated through it, whatever that difficulty was it is now your testimony to share how God brought you through it and that is encouragement to others.