My Favorite Comforter

(picture from wifeknows.com)

Do you ever catch yourself whining? Do you ever feel yourself panicking? I tend to find my mouth saying things that sound like complaints way more often that I’d like to admit.

Our Father in Heaven has given us the Holy Spirit to us to be, among other things, our Comforter. If you think in pictures, like many of us do, a plethora of imagery comes to mind at the sound of that word. Do you picture the cozy down comforter on your bed, the one that snuggles you as you wrap yourself in it? Do you picture a bereavement card? Do you picture the face of that one special friend who’s always there for you, not matter how much you pout, cry, mourn or throw a pity party? Do you remember the hands of your mother, as she gently smoothed a band-aid over that nasty scrape on your knee? Do you smell the glass of wine you nursed after getting disturbing or sad news?

(picture from friendsquotation.com)

I’m sure you have your own images that pop into place at the mention of most any word.

But, comforters can explore a thousand dimensions, depending on what kind of comfort we find ourselves in need of at any given moment. I can be in one dimension right now and discover myself in another place in just a few minutes, needing a whole new kind of comfort.

(picture from safebee.com)

Sometimes I want sympathy, or to hear that yes – I was right in that last disagreement that ruffled my feathers. I may just need a hug; a smile. I may need someone to simply listen to me rant. I may need to hear a soothing voice in my ears. I may want silence, or I may need a momentary distraction from my own thoughts.

But, our heavenly Comforter always knows just what we need, just who we need it from and just how to get it to us. Yet, sometimes we flat out refuse to be comforted.

“God, I’m feeling a bit scared right now.”

“But, Helen, you love Me, right?”

“Lord, this pain is unbearable.”

“You love Me, don’t you?

“Father, it was totally not fair for her to treat me that way.”

“Do you love Me anyways?”

“Grrrrrr! God, that made me so angry!”

“Yet, you still love Me?”

My heavenly Comforter doesn’t question my love for Him. He challenges my love for Him – bringing me right back to the place of safety I desperately need be whenever I need comforting.

Honestly, that’s the place of safety I seek to dwell in all the time.

Hard times, emotional escapades and every day frustrations come at us to steal our joy, to derail our day, and to cause rifts in relationships. Yet, knowing we’re centered right there in the love of God, protected under the wings of the Almighty, hidden in Christ, brings us to our knees and to a place of complete surrender, submitting ourselves and our circumstance to the King of kings, Himself.

And therein, we are comforted.

(picture from fggam,org)

“Peace, be still my Child, I am with you always. I love you. You are mine.”

“Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always, by all means. The be with you all.” -2 Thessalonians 3:16 (KJV)

“Let your conversations be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” -Hebrews 13:5 (KJV)

“…and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”  -Matthew 28:20 (KJV)

Holy Breath

(en.wikipedia.org)

Breath. Whether our first or our last: beautiful!

I wonder how it feels to be the doctor that delivers babies for a living; how it feels to be the first to hold a child leaving the safety of their mother’s womb – as they draw their very first breath.

Holding a newborn just minutes later is so incredibly awe-inspiring and emotionally overwhelming!  Snuggling that same child a week or a month or a year later is, to me, invigorating and life affirming.

I wonder how it feels to be the nurse who holds the hand of the sick or elderly drawing their last breaths.  That, too, must be profound, touching one’s heart and soul in countless ways.

(theguardian.com)

What about all the breaths in between? Do we cherish them, or do we take them for granted? We seldom even pay attention to our breathing unless we’re struggling to do it when we have a cold or are out in temperatures when the air feels like it’s freezing our lungs….or when we’re either so happy or so sad that we’re gasping to catch our breath.

Incredible beauty and anguishing sorrow can both seem to “take our breath away…”

It’s been shared with me that when God created Adam and breathed life into him, the word breathe translates to the word inspire. When I look up the definition of the word inspire, I read: “to fill with an animation, quickening or exalting influence.” God filled Adam, and all of us – with animation; He quickened us, bringing us to life. We respire, which means to breathe. We can only respire once God has inspired us.

As you’ve read this piece, how many breaths have you drawn? God knows, but we pay so little attention to the miracle held in each breath. We’re alive! We’re alive to glorify the giver of Life, Himself!

(angierayphotography.com)

As we draw breath during this holy holiday season, bring to mind the scene; however it looks in your own mind, of when the Christ Child first breathed our air, first cried. I don’t know if they slapped babies on the bottom back then, I’ve not seen a doctor do it these days, either, though. It was probably Joseph who held Him first; we hear no mention of a midwife showing up in the stable. The giver of Life draws breath among us for the first time!

And recall his last, as He called out to our Father, “It is finished.”

(erniearagonjr.wordpress.com)

And think to cherish each breath He drew as He walked on earth in flesh, like we do – leading to the day He’d sacrifice that life for ours; so that we can live with Him eternally in perfect peace.

Each breath is a reminder of the peace that can fill our lives as air fills our lungs – when we let Jesus reign in our hearts!

Hallelujah!

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men…. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)

full of grace and truth.” – John 1:1-4, 14 (KJV)