God of All Comfort

One of my favorite verses I use in counseling, is II Corinthians 1:3 - "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 all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."



I first heard of Proverbs 31 Ministries http://proverbs31.org/ from my daughter, Lisa, http://lisasmithblog.com/. She entered the She Speaks contest shespeaksconference.com last year. Her hopes and dreams are to speak and write. From a very young age, it was obvious she had a talent to write and speak. Words flow from her lips and pen. She says they whir around in her head all day and night. I believe that is truly remarkable and have watched how the Lord has promoted her to have a voice in the last couple of years. She has shared many of her favorite Proverbs 31 ladies' blogs with me and what they have meant to her and also chosen the ones she thought I will like. I love the words, the zest for life and the freedom these younger women have found in the Lord. Many times I am encouraged by these younger women even though my gift is encouraging.



Coming from a generation of pretending everything is fine, I have often wondered what different choices I would have made in my life if I had like-minded friends like these women. My message is "it is never too late to seek HIM even when you are old and gray."



It is said our greatest trial is our greatest ministry. Working as a counselor, I have many opportunities to share my greatest trials and to comfort others. My desire is to mentor younger women (even the "baby boomers") with the same comfort I have received. The pain among women is universal. We are all created from the same seed having the same thoughts. Choices and consequences manifest differently in different people.



Lysa TerKerust's scholarship sparked my hope and desire to minister with my daughter and these very wise younger women. Visit Lysa's blog http://lysaterkeurst.com/ to find out how you can enter for a scholarship.



*She Speaks conferences For Speakers teach you how "to develop a great message from start to finish" and "how to motivate your audience to make life changes."



*She Speaks conferences For Writers teaches "how to connect with your readers through blogging."



*She Speaks conferences For Women's Ministry Leaders encourage and train you "to distinguish God's direction for your ministry with confidence."



Again this year, my daughter is entering the She Speaks Contest. I encourage her and then she encourages me, "Mom, enter the She Speaks contest too. It will be fun." Ephesians 5:16 mentions "making the most of every opportunity." It is a wonderful opportunity for me to enter the She Speaks contest and to share my daughter's vision along with the other younger women in the Proverbs 31 Ministries.