Day 6 {comfort}

Welcome back to the 31 Days Writing challenge. I’m hardly able to get my mind around the fact that I’ve actually blogged 6 days in a row!

How did you do with gathering {rest} yesterday? After such an incredibly busy week, we also had a busy weekend – unusually so for our quiet family. We packed in basketball practice, antiquing, baking, being stuck for an hour on the highway, a lovely bonfire, Sunday School and church, Three Classy Ladies +1 piano performance … and I had a 3 hour nap! Whew!

Our Dreamer had one more special request for her birthday {weeklong} celebration – she wanted to go antiquing as a family. Yes! We raced through some Saturday morning chores, polished up some apples and put the kettle on. It was a cool, blustery kind of day – so we made hot tea to take in our ‘to-go’ cups! With the coolness in the air and bright changing leaves dancing in the wind, our nice hot cups of tea and our favorite fall c.d. ‘Autumn in New England’ playing in the van our sweet girl declared it was her ‘perfect’ fall day. 

Fall is about making that transition from long days of sunshine to short days of cool and dreary weather. When we first get relief from the heat I feel like I have an extra burst of energy … but soon the coolness leaves me craving quietness and comfort. I love to keep a candle burning and a nice big pot of soup on the stove every other day or so. I enjoy watching yeast breads rise and baking cookies to fill the jar. Fall is about flannel sheets and cozy blankets, good books, hot apple cider, plenty of Pumpkin Spice tea and cherished family times.

I’ve seen so many posts on favorite fall comforts so it made sense to add gathering {comfort} to my list of 31 Days.

I have a feeling though … this won’t be the kind of comfort you might think.

comfort

[kuhm-fert] 

verb 

1. to soothe, console, or reassure; bring cheer to.

2. to make physically comfortable.

3. to aid; support or encourage.

noun

4. relief in affliction; consolation; solace.

5. a feeling of relief or consolation.

6. a person or thing that gives consolation.

7. a cause or matter of relief or satisfaction.

The concept of ‘comfort food’ was completely unknown to me until I met my Historian. Growing up I knew we all had our special favorite foods, but I never thought of food in terms of comfort – unless it was those steaming bowls of chili that we enjoyed when we came in from a cold afternoon of sledding that filled our tummies and warmed us from the inside out! Mmmm! There were 4 or 5 special everyday kind of dinners that my Historian considered to be his comfort foods – and when his mother shared the old family recipes and I finally learned NOT to tweak them ’just a bit’ … he would sigh with satisfaction and declare it to be ‘comfort food’.

Several years ago we returned to a church we had attended in our early months of marriage. The church had gone through a terrible time of upheaval. Two old friends who continued in their deacon positions during the division showed remarkable changes in their appearances. One had gained about 50 pounds, the other lost about as much. One friend had taken {comfort} during the stress in food, while the other had no appetite for food, but coped with the stress by spending more time in prayer and in the Word.

As I pondered this, I began to realize that the whole idea of ‘comfort food’ bothers me. I wonder if finding our {comfort} in food is just another distraction from our TRUE source of comfort? I’ve struggled with weight my whole life and done my fair share of ‘comfort’ eating – turning to food in times of stress or worry. I’ve found that the promises of comfort foods are empty lies and the satisfaction of enjoying them is short lived. Over indulging in any food can increase health struggles and lead to obesity, gluttony and guilt. God made food to nourish and feed our bodies, to support health and to give us pleasure and enjoyment. 

It was never meant to feed our Spirit.

For that we need Spiritual food which cannot be found in church traditions, our own intellect or that of learned scholars, in our personal experience or even the refrigerator. It can only be found in the Word of God.

Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:

Isaiah 26:4

It always excites me to know that the Holy Spirit is also called the Comforter. God knew well in advance what believers would need to navigate in this dark world. He knew we would need comfort and that He would provide it through His Word and by His Spirit living in us. 

gathering {comfort}

Romans 15:4

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

Sometimes I wish I were more like Job.

Though he did not have the entire preserved Word of God that we are so blessed to hold in our hands, the portions of Scripture that were available to him were life giving.

Job 23:12

Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

My daily prayer – that I would gather my {comfort} from the Word of God, that I would desire it more than my necessary food.

I’ve a long way to go …

I’d love to know what Scripture verse give you the most comfort in times of trial or sorrow.

Please share a reference in the comments below - I know it will be a blessing!