Comfort!

Comfort food.  I wanted something, but I didn't know what as I surveyed the pantry shelves. Not a cookie, not cereal, but something. Then I spied it: a box of graham crackers! Perfect with a glass of milk! I guess my subconscious was going back to my childhood, when Mama kept graham crackers for the babies, but not out of my reach!

The other morning, when I knew I didn't share my husband's appetite for eggs and sausage, I made myself a half-recipe of cocoa gravy! Some call it chocolate gravy, but it was always cocoa gravy our mother made for us when we were kids.  I couldn't believe how good it was when I put it over a hot biscuit. A year or so ago I didn't like the way the recipe turned out, so I reduced the sugar by half this time, and it was scrumptious: warm, chocolatey and comforting.

The Bible calls the Holy Spirit our comforter.  I think of the time Jesus startled his disciples by appearing alongside their boat during a storm at sea.  What a comfort it was for them when He got into the boat with them and calmed the storm (Matthew 14:32.) 

Don't you love it when Jesus gets into our boat with us in times of storms and trouble? We have seen  that recently when one of our grandson's life was at peril in the hospital.  We found out later that the doctors and nurses held out little hope for him and didn't expect him to survive.  But Jesus was in the boat! He brought him through!

"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." 2 Corinthians 3-4.

There are countless opportunities to comfort others.  We were comforted by people's generosity and help during the aftermath of hurricane Katrina when we lived on the gulf coast.  Now we have a chance to help those in the Louisiana floods. "As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem," Isaiah 66:12, speaking of future rejoicing of God's people.

At one point in Jesus's ministry, his disciples were urging him to eat.  His response to them in John 4:32 was, "I have meat (food) to eat that ye know not of." The disciples wondered if someone had brought him something to eat. "Jesus saith unto them, My meat (food) is to do the will of him that sent me, to finish his work."

As much as we love comfort, sometimes we  have to get out of our comfort zones to help others!