Advent 2022 – Day 5
Thursday, December 1st
Unexpected Comfort And Joy
By Brenda Seagraves / Season of life: Retired
Scripture
Blessed 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 was
stricken 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 for
several 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 player
next to her bed and old hymns would play continually throughout the day. I knew
that 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 Prayer
Dear God, thank you for always being there for me – through the toughest times and the most joyous moments. Amen
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Reflections
Have you ever experienced an unexpected moment of comfort in the midst of a painful situation? What did that moment look like?
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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!