When you read the word comfort in the title of this post, what came to your mind? While I am not a mind reader, I would bet that many of your thoughts were the same, or at least similar, to mine.
There was a time when I was concerned about how clothes looked and whether they were in style. Several years ago I changed my thinking and comfort became the most important factor in clothing and particularly in shoes. In fact, it seems to me if your feet aren't comfortable, nothing else is comfortable. Comfort is vital where my feet are concerned.
Food is a regular part of one's daily routine. We eat for nourishment and health. However, there are some days that I know I crave comfort food. Comfort food may vary from person to person. For me, comfort food usually means something hot with gravy like roast and mashed potatoes. However, sometimes temperature is not a factor because hot, cold, or room temperature chocolate, lemon, or coconut pie can bring comfort.
Almost always the presence of family members brings instant comfort because of the love and memories that are contained within those individuals.
But there are times when it seems that nothing brings comfort, at least not for long. Those are times when the need for comfort goes far beyond our sore feet or our taste buds. When the pain and sorrow of loss encompasses every cell within our bodies, the environment around us becomes a blur and words fade within moments of hearing them spoken. There is probably no one of an age above 5 or 6 that has not experienced this type of hurt to some degree. It is then that comfort is needed but we struggle as to how to offer it to another person.
As a minister I have been with families who have experienced the loss of a parent, a spouse, a child, a grandparent, a co-worker, a student, and a good friend. My wife and I have experienced the loss of both of our parents, many relatives, and friends. In every situation the greatest need for those in grief was and is comfort. But how shall we offer comfort or receive it for ourselves?
Comfort takes the form of hugs and expressions of love.
Comfort comes in the presence of people standing by.
Comfort comes in acts of kindness that the one experiencing loss has no energy to do.
Comfort comes in food that is delivered.
Comfort comes in phone calls, emails, and texts.
Comfort comes in the person who will just sit beside you and hold your hand.
But the greatest comfort comes from the one who created us, who gave us the breath of life, and who loves us unconditionally. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 these words about God as the source of ultimate comfort and His expectations of how we will pass along that comfort in the future.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us
in all of our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those
who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we
ourselves are comforted by God."
You may be free of grief or loss at this moment, but you may know others who are not. God is the One who offers and gives all comfort. We are not asked to go and preach a sermon. That is not how God comforts us. He comforts us with a love that is pure and unconditional. He comforts us through the power of His Word found in the Bible. He comforts us by sending those family and friends around us that have been comforted by Him earlier and they pass it on. He comforts us by offering us hope and direction through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.
Life is difficult and at times very painful. God has not abandoned us to exist without His comfort. Let the Lord bring comfort to you, and then as the time comes, pass that comfort along to others.
May your week be blessed. May the Lord bring comfort to you as needed. May you be available to share His comfort with others.
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