Devotionals

What Kind of Comfort?

by Terry Barlow
05/23/14
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Was reminded today how the Holy Spirit is a comforter and how easily we can misconstrue that fact. Comfort does often come after an injury or a trial, or a loss but that isn’t its primary meaning and that orients to a past event.  "Words decay with imprecision," T.S. Eliot wisely said.  More properly construed com-fort(literally “with-strength”) orients to present or imminent future. The Comforter seeks to strengthen us for a present challenge or one that is soon to be upon us. That is a great difference in orientation! Rather than a consolation for what’s past and now beyond our control, though there’s a place for that, comfort’s emphasis is on equipping us for unfolding events over which we still do have some control, at least as to how we’re going to respond to them. This also sheds new meaning into what it means to be comfortable. “I want to make you comfortable with being uncomfortable, when it is necessary,” a teacher recently said.