By Katy Mariotti

Comfort to Share

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“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. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-5 English Standard Version

Recently when we were at church on a Sunday morning, my son asked if he could borrow my phone to take a picture of something, and later on when looking through my pictures I discovered this one he took of his stuffed dog, aptly named “Puppy Dog.”  It made me smile and also made me think about him and Puppy Dog. He was given the stuffed animal for Christmas one year by his big sister, who picked it out at the store for him, and it quickly became his favorite. Now that my son is an active seven-year-old, he’s more interested in video games, Legos, building forts, and running around than he is in snuggling stuffed animals.

So why that morning? Regardless of not wanting to snuggle stuffed animals, Puppy Dog is still a source of comfort for my son. Sometimes he feels a little sensitive when he has to wake up early, so he probably brought the animal because it made him feel safe and homey.

Life can be difficult, and I’m so grateful we have a God who promises to comfort us. As it says in 2 Corinthians, since Christ shared in our sufferings, He also shares comfort as well. We see that when we need comfort in small ways- I’m so glad I have my husband to talk to, family members to hug, or even coffee to look forward to in the morning. And He definitely gives us comfort in the big ways, when we’re deeply hurting, through the love He has sent us in our lives, and through the promise of eternal life through salvation in Jesus.

Not only does God send us this comfort, but it also says in 2 Corinthians that the comfort we receive is to be shared with others. The stuffed animals my children have? One of the first things they do when they see us sad or not feeling well as adults is to bring us a stuffed animal to help us feel better.

I pray for comfort for you today in whatever way you need it, and the strength and guidance to comfort others!

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado