A Time of Comfort Shared

Posted on Dec 3, 2016 in Advent Devotions |

by Joyce Singer

1 Comfort, O comfort my people,
says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that she has served her term,
that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.
3 A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5 Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

–Isaiah 40:1-5

Smells, sights and sounds help me relive memories: playing in fallen leaves, gathering flowers, relaxing at the beach and decorating a Christmas tree. I am one of a multitude of people for whom the smells, sights and sounds of Christmas bring memories of tragedy.

I was lost in grief and needed others to open my heart and prepare it to receive the comfort of God before I could appreciate Advent again. I needed the smiles of others, the touch and acknowledgement of others, and they were there. Mostly strangers on the street and people just doing simple acts of kindness, showed me Christ was with me to comfort me through the people he would send into my life.

I never know what burden a person I pass on the street is carrying, but I remember the burden I carried and how I was helped by others comforting me and making my path a little straighter. Here is how I can prepare my heart. I can make someone else’s path a little straighter. I can level their ground a little. I can lift them up as I was lifted. As we give comfort we are comforted.
Prayer:
Oh Lord, help me to see the need in others and open my heart and theirs to prepare the way for Christ to enter. Amen.

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