In moments of national and personal devastation—like September 11—we are reminded that grief and loss do not have the final word. Paul opens his letter with a powerful truth: the God who comforts us in all our affliction equips us to comfort others. From the ashes of tragedy, we are not only healed—we are commissioned. Just as Paul speaks of shared suffering and shared comfort, we are invited to become rebuilders of hope, carriers of compassion, and restorers of broken places. The comfort we receive becomes the foundation we offer others. In Christ, ruins are not endpoints—they are starting lines for redemptive rebuilding.