Advent 2022 - Day 5

Thursday, December 1stUnexpected Comfort And Joy By Brenda Seagraves / Season of life: Retired   ScriptureBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we may be able to comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. ~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-4     Even the simplest of things can bring peace and enjoyment. My Mother wasstricken with dementia several years ago and I became her caregiver for the last five years of her life. She suffered a broken hip and was sent to a rehab facility forseveral weeks. I would go on Sunday mornings to attend a church service with her,which was held in the dining room.    I remember the first time a lady came by to give out hymn books. Mother said, “Thank you, but I don’t need one.” As they began to sing the old hymns, she sang every word from perfect memory….although, she couldn’t recall much other info. She always had a smile on her face when singing these old hymns.   When she was completely bedridden and unresponsive, I would place a CD playernext to her bed and old hymns would play continually throughout the day. I knewthat this brought her much pleasure as I would often peek in and see her lying there with a smile on her face. What a blessing that God provides joy and comfort in ways that we never expect!         Closing PrayerDear God, thank you for always being there for me – through the toughest times and the most joyous moments. Amen   _________________________________________________   Reflections   Have you ever experienced an unexpected moment of comfort in the midst of a painful situation?  What did that moment look like?___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________   What is one way you could provide “unexpected comfort” to a person in your life today?  __________________________________________________________________________________________________   Pray about reaching out to someone today, through a text, an email, and/or a gesture of love.  The Lord God uses us to comfort one another in the hardest of times!     Lord God, may I “repeat the sounding joy” of who You are today!