Ah, I am so cozy,” my daughter Evelyn sighed with contentment as she snuggled a little deeper into her fleece-lined sweatshirt her brother gave her for Christmas. Evelyn and I were sipping hot tea, putting together a puzzle, and listening to one of our favorite movies in the background.
Comfort at Home
It warmed my heart to hear her contented sigh. Comfort is one my goals for our home and family during the dark of winter. I have a pile of blankets in the living room by the sofa for bundling up in. We have a seasonal candle lit on the dining room table, which is why it smells like sugar cookies when we come home from school or work. We plug in the lights on the Christmas tree whenever we can to remember the joy we had on Christmas Day. A bin with woolen mittens, scarves, and hats sits by the door so we can bundle up and keep our warmth when we have to go outside. Chicken pot pie and ham, green beans, and potatoes are featured in our dinner menus. We are able to eat dinner together since we don’t have as many activities as a family. My youngest recently admitted that it might sound trite, but just being together as a family is what makes her the happiest during the winter.
Comfort in Scripture
I see in Scripture God’s design for comfort, too. Isaiah calls out to God’s people: “Comfort, comfort my people.” Now that their judgement was over and their sin was forgiven, there was hope and glory to live for. God is a personal God, a loving creator who renews those who wait for Him.
Jesus wants us to take comfort, too, in the midst of life’s darkness and discouragement. After Jesus let His disciples in on what was going to happen with Him at His death and resurrection, Jesus reminds them to “take heart because I have overcome the world.” We, as His disciples, can also take heart from His words. He said “these things so that in me you may have peace.”
This comfort, hope, and peace is not just positional or a logical conclusion to what Jesus did on the cross, but the comfort of God and Jesus is to be felt and experienced. We can wrap ourselves up in His love, relishing it and feeling it in our soul during dark times. God loves you. He is still at work. As a brother or sister in Christ, you have His presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. You have hope. You are not alone.
God is at Work in the BFC
This is one of the reasons why I look forward to reading the BFC OneVoice magazine. In its pages I am reminded that God loves us and is still at work through each one of our churches and through our denomination as a whole. The Communications Committee hopes that you, too, will experience the comfort of God this winter. If you have any good news to share with us, we’d love to hear it so we can share it with all our readers. Write me at: socialmediabfc@gmail.com. Thank you for reading!
