The Quiet Gift of Comfort
Wednesday Wisdom. The Quiet Gift of Comfort.
Today, I’m facilitating a “Comfort Circle” with a group at the School of Applied Theology in Berkeley, so I’ve been steeped in reflecting on comfort as preparation. What is comfort? How do we share it with others? How do we give it to ourselves?
At the elementary school where I am the part-time librarian, students are allowed to bring their stuffed animals to school and hold them during the day. It’s a great idea, because it allows for the children to self-soothe and comfort themselves. I recently met a pink porcupine called Petunia; I’ve seen a little white lambs called Dot; I’ve met a tiger named Growl. I see the children holding them, and it reminds me of our instinctual need for comfort.
Connecting with comfort can bring a beautiful sense of quiet to us: it can relax our bodies; calm our hearts; and connect us to ourselves. It helps us not to feel alone. I encourage all of us to find simple ways to connect with the power of comfort in our daily lives, and to connect to the God of comfort in our lives. I love this verse from the end of Isaiah: 66:13,
“For thus says the Lord…
As a mother comforts her child,
so I will comfort you:
You shall be comforted in Jerusalem…”
***
Comfort is a shelter, a warm blanket, a refuge. Fortunately, we do not need to do anything extraordinary to produce comfort, because it is something that already exists within each of us and all around us. Real comfort can be found in the context of daily living. It is a grace. We just need to open our arms and receive it. We just need to open our arms and give it.
—-Comfort & Joy: Simple Ways to Care for Ourselves and Others, by Colette Lafia.
Reflection:
- What gives you comfort?
- How are you giving and receiving comfort in your life right now?
I offer you this vignette from Comfort & Joy:
Acceptance
I cannot think about life anymore. I just know that I’m asking another person to love me, in all my fragility. I just know that another person is asking me to love him, during a time of struggle. Sometimes, it’s the will that gets tired, not the body. Comfort comes from feeling accepted. Comfort comes from accepting others.
For this one day, I will say: This is enough, this is just right. I will offer you my hand and encourage you on your journey. You will offer me your hand, and gently help me over the stepping stones of my path.
Together we lift each other up with the comfort of deep and willing acceptance.
Cultivating Comfort
Sometimes comfort isn’t an action, but an open heart that you bring to a situation. Acceptance for others is rooted in accepting yourself. If you are tired today, emotionally vulnerable, or angry and frustrated, make room for it. Learn to gently say, I accept all of myself. I hold my feelings with tenderness, love, and comfort. I let the God of comfort hold me with tenderness, love and comfort.