Day 12
What comes to your mind when you think of comfort food? Tonight, we had salmon, asparagus, the rest of the yummy melon from day 10 and a plain, ordinary, uncomplicated baked potato. It was the best part of the meal for me and the most memorable taste of my day.
What is it about bland, starchy food that takes so good? I am sure there is a scientific explanation. But I don’t need one to know that my baked potato tasted like comfort wrapped in a brown bag and filled with chunky, buttery goodness.
It’s amazing how food can bring comfort—like hot soup when you feel chilled inside and out. Or ice cream when you feel sad. Or a baked potato when you are really tired. The types of food that bring back the color in our cheeks may vary, but the impact is very much the same. We feel better!
As I ate my baked potato and thought about comfort food, I wondered about the ways that God comforts me. How do I experience or taste his comfort? When do I turn to him for comfort?
With out a doubt, prayer—quiet, contemplative prayer—is how I find God’s comfort most. When I am upset or agitated, I often seek solace in a favorite spot in my house or garden where I can be alone with God. I have a way of talking to God during those times. It’s slow and very focused with a keen sense that I am speaking directly to him. I ask him a lot of questions and I listen. I process what I am feeling. Sometimes I receive an impression that comes as his answer. He consoles me as though he has taken me by the hand and helped me find my way back home.
Comfort food and the comfort of God are two of life’s loveliest pleasures. The next time you eat your favorite food of comfort, let the taste remind you of the God of all comfort who longs to comfort you. (II Corinthians 1:3, 4)
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