Intangible Comfort
Author : Logan Boldog
Happy Valentine’s Day, ladies!
Since this week is love week I want to share what the Lord has laid on my heart in the last few weeks about what love looks like, but moreover what comfort in Him looks like as well.
Have you ever had something in your life that just brings you comfort no matter what is happening around you? Maybe that something is a person, place, or tangible object–no matter what form it is, it brings you overwhelming comfort. For wives, this can be found in wearing their husband’s t-shirt to bed or just around the house on a Saturday morning. And you mamas know that babies often have a blanket or stuffed animal that they “can’t sleep without” until they get older (or maybe even forever).
For me, this object has always been my pillow. For the last twelve and a half years, I have spent every night sleeping with that pillow. It went with me to sleepovers as a kid, to L.A. when I moved for four months, and to my now husband’s house to visit for the very first time. Through airports, road trips, church camp, college, my wedding day, my honeymoon, and so many more instances, that pillow provided me comfort no matter what.
Over the last year, this pillow that I have spent every night with for the last twelve and a half years has begun to deteriorate, quite literally. What used to be a squishy, cloud-like place for my head to rest is now falling apart so badly that the pillow case has to be tied at the end in order to keep the stuffing in. And yet, I continued to sleep with that almost non-existent pillow up until about three months ago when I was physically unable to anymore because it hurt my neck so bad. After that, I started to sleep with a new pillow, which I did really like, but I couldn’t give up my other pillow, I still kept it in the bed with me, between my husband and I. Until a few nights ago, when I realized that I hadn’t seen ‘my’ pillow in weeks and actually had no idea where it was.
When did I stop sleeping with it? I thought to myself.
I tell this story now because it truly is a great example of how Christians often treat their relationship with Christ–we run when it starts to get uncomfortable and seek comfort somewhere else. Until one day we wake up and realize that we can’t even remember the last time we spoke to God, or really sought him out when we needed comfort.
Isaiah 57:18 shows a perfect example of Jesus’ love for us when He says “I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners.” In all of our wrongdoings, Jesus loves and comforts us–through airports, road trips, church camp, college, my wedding day, etc. The immense comfort I was feeling did not come from the tangible object that ultimately ended up causing more harm than good, it was from Jesus, I just didn’t recognize that, nor give Him the credit He deserves, until now.
As Christians we have to recognize that every physical object, every person, every place we have been, was created by God and crossed our paths for a reason. God does not make mistakes, nor are there any accidents that come from His hands. We have to seek Him and allow him to comfort us in the way that our Father so desperately wants to.
I challenge you to find Jesus’ comfort in your everyday life this week and tell us about it. Look for where you often give credit for your comfort and find Jesus in that space, because I PROMISE you He is there and he is working in your life more than you see or maybe just more than you give him credit for, like me.