Comfort


This morning I saw a wooly bear caterpillar.  It was the first I'd seen in a long time, and definitely the first of the season.  Seeing it reminded me of a time long ago.

We had been living on Maple Street in Kalamazoo, and my sister Mindy - who couldn't have been more than 5 at the time, found a whole bunch of fuzzy little caterpillars.  Since the tufts of hair made them look like tiny little stuffed animals, Mindy thought their fuzziness would be wonderful against her skin.  So, she proceeded to put them all under her shirt and into her pants.  Unfortunately, many breeds of fuzzy caterpillars actually have tiny poisonous sacs connected to those spike-like hairs, and when they touch your skin they can break off and cause a stinging rash.  What Mindy thought would be of comfort - turned out to cause discomfort instead.

The caterpillar reminded me of so many people I know who are in need of comfort but who don't know God.

Some try alcohol or drugs.  Some turn to sex.  Some to food.  Some try to assuage their discomfort through work... but in the end, just like that fuzzy little caterpillar - the comfort they seek is not there - and often they end up in worse shape than they were before.

There is a verse in the Bible that speaks of comfort.  It says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." - 2 Corinthians 3-4.

I think that verse is great - and for me, because I know God - it works.  But what about for those who do not?  

Well, I love that the verse say that God comforts US, so that we may be able to comfort others, and in that verse the word AFFLICTION stood out so I looked it up.  The Oxford Language Dictionary says it means something that causes pain or suffering.

You see it's not enough to feel like, "Well, I got mine" when it comes to comfort.  We are to look for opportunities to use those same comforts which God has blessed us with - to bless others.

Certainly we can do that by sharing our faith.  However, saying, "God cares for you," to someone who is homeless and doesn't know where their next meal is coming from - is not really sharing comfort at all.  

Instead - before we start talking to someone about God and His love, we must make sure they are in a space where they can receive the message, and that means taking care of their needs first.

My friend Jaime, says "we are blessed so we can bless."  That's true.  God blesses us so that we can bless others, and in doing so - we are tilling the soil so that later, the seeds of faith may be planted and take root.

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...and for those of you who read the Farmer's almanac and wonder about the Wooly Bear's coloring...it was all black.




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