Our Comfort

from Ben's mom

My friend Lindsay gave up mac 'n' cheese for Lent. She loves it so much she affectionately refers to it as lo-lo and when I lived with her, she could always count on me to finish off the leftovers. As I read about her Lenten sacrifice I was thinking about how it was a comfort food for her. If she had a bad day, I could count on seeing a box on the counter when I came home.

It seems to me that much of the lesson of Lent is to turn to Christ for our comfort. In this life, we get caught up in the day-to-day and we quickly discover what calms our harried souls, bodies, spirits, and we quickly resort to it. I love to immerse myself in someone else's story--preferably in movie form. I will also admit to enjoying a glass of red wine and keeping up with the Jones to calm my Type-A nerves. For some it might be a trip to the spa (I think I could get used to that if it was in the budget) or shopping. And so during Lent, we give up those things that make our lives more "comfortable" and resolve to turn once more to the One who is our True Comfort.

I believe He brings us good things to give us comfort and He wants to enjoy those things. But in our frail sinfulness, we find it easy to worship creation more than Creator, to turn to the device rather than the Provider. And so for a short season, those of us who know better, take a break from the devices, the comforts, the creations, and focus instead on the Provider, Comforter, Creator. And hope that when we resume eating lo-lo, watching movies, and reading the Jones' blog, we will treasure the reminder of Lent--that in His suffering we are offered eternal life, hope, and joy.