Being comforted

DID you ever envy a small child his privilege of climbing into a waiting lap and having his tears soothed away? No need for envy--you can have even better comfort than this. Though the child feels happier after his tears are dried, he still faces the numerous challenges of being doorknob-high--challenges posed by bigger kids, perhaps, or by new and unfamiliar faces and places. And there may not always be a lap for him to climb into, or a comforting hug when he needs it. But there's a deeper comfort--for you and for him--one that is unfailingly available. It is the all-embracing love of God, our Father-Mother. And this comfort of divine Love, God, is accessible to all of us right when we need it. A hymn assures us: ``Like as a mother, God comforteth His children.''1

And we truly are His children, created whole, complete, perfect, in His likeness --spiritual. No matter what turns us to seek comfort--whether our life seems to be falling apart at the seams or confusion and distress are battering us--we can cling to our unbreakable relationship to our divine Parent, the Parent which Christ Jesus referred to as ``my Father, and your Father.''2 We can let divine Love quiet our fear, and then we can begin to feel the practical comfort of God's tender care for us.

At a particularly difficult time in my life, I felt extremely uneasy about my future. All kinds of doubts and fears began to hammer at me. Would I be strong enough, and wise enough, to deal with the challenges I was facing? Would the rest of my life be lived under a miserable cloud of failure and loss?

The idea of praying to solve my difficulties was still very new to me, but the fear and confusion I was suffering were intolerable. So I turned to God in prayer. What I learned has been a beacon light in the years since. I saw that God's comfort for me was in the God-provided knowledge that I was safe in Him. No accusation could separate me from His omnipotent care. And I realized that I could feel this safety as I turned away from the picture of myself in trouble and began to view myself as I truly am--the loved child of God.

The Psalmist declares, ``I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.''3 The feeling of turbulence was quickly replaced with confidence that all would be well. And it was! The difficulty was resolved in a most unusual way, and a new freedom was established in my life.

It is always practical to turn to God to gain the peace we need. Then solutions already at hand become apparent. His love and power are always present. As Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, writes, ``Consolation and peace are based on the enlightened sense of God's government.''4

The realization that the infinite power of God supersedes the apparent power of the human circumstance helps us find ourselves safe and comforted, regardless of untoward circumstances. Prayer to the Almighty is far more effective and satisfying than depending on a human ``lap'' for comfort. We can count on that!

1Christian Science Hymnal, No. 174. 2John 20:17. 3Psalms 91:2. 4The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 283. You can find more articles like this one in the Christian Science Sentinel, a weekly magazine. DAILY BIBLE VERSE I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will harken unto you . . . I will be found of you, saith the Lord. Jeremiah 29:11, 12, 14