Comfort. That inexplicable all-knowing peace that surrounds my heart in troubled times. I can't explain it anymore than I can explain the comfort my granddaughters get from cuddling their little pink blankets. It's just there.
Haylee and Kinsey call them "Pinkie". One side is soft terrycloth, the other side is satin. When they want to be warm, they lay the terry side on them. When they want to be cool, they lay the satin side on them. When they cry they want them, when they sleep, and many times when they eat. When we go to the movies they take them and cover their eyes in scary parts of cartoons. The girls remind me of the Charlie Brown cartoon character, Linus. We've had many a frantic search for Pinkies at bedtime or when boo-boos attack their fingers and toes.
It will take time and teaching for the girls to grasp the truth in God's Word that He is our comfort--our stay--that He will cover them in their anxiety, and keep them through each trial in life.
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4
All the shadows we face in life are known by our Father in Heaven. He understands the fright that may confront us. As we grow closer to Him we find the things we once feared do not frighten us anymore. Many things we feared as children are mere shadows. Experience and reality dispels the fear and uncertainty they once provoked.
With Christ we are not left alone--without comfort. He is with us through all we face. He tells us to "fear not, for I am with you". His rod and staff guide us and are trustworthy to keep us through the difficulty--no matter the crisis. Just as my granddaughters seek the comfort the tangible nearness that their blankets offer, we have the presence of God through His Spirit as a constant comfort. We need only seek Him.
