com-fort / noun
the easing or alleviation of a person's feelings of grief or distress
In the midst of a Midwest winter, I find myself drawn to the coziest spot in the house.
The warm glow of the (electric) fireplace and the twinkling lights of a little Christmas tree (still up at the end of January) are a simple comfort to me in this season when the nights are long and the days are cold and often dreary.
Add some homemade soup in the crock pot and a cup of coffee in my hand and I'm bound to feel quite comfortable despite whatever wintery weather is happening outside.
I was thinking recently about a family friend who had passed away.
How do we comfort one another, how do we comfort ourselves through such difficult seasons?
I've discovered in the past few years that in the midst of grief, loss, hardships, uncertainty... that the Word of God has become a real, tangible source of comfort to me.
In the first moments after my dad had passed away, as I sat in my parents' living room full of shock and grief... my husband (home with our young children still asleep in their beds) texted me whole passages of scripture to quickly give my mind and heart a safe place to rest. I'm forever grateful for him pointing me to the Word at the darkest moment of my life.
When life feels like Winter, we need the promise of Spring. As believers, we find that promise of new life, life everlasting, in scripture.
Rev. 21:1-5
Job 19:25-27
Psalm 16:8-11
1 Corinthians 15:50-58
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?