Halloween candy = comfort food

As much as it pains me to say. I met my quota on Halloween candy. Not because I want to but because it seems like it never ends it our house. Candy is that little comfort. Soon as you open that wrapper you get to taste something sweet and delicious but does it truly comfort you? At the end of the night that candy is my enemy as I am trying to get in better shape and it effects how I sleep at night. Something so comforting truly is not.

What comforts us in life? Food, a good bed or maybe a good workout? When I think of materialistic things, I am missing one of my greatest comforts in life, hockey. When I would have a bad day I used to look forward to strapping on my equipment and taking it to the ice. I found no matter how mad I was or how much anxiety I was feeling I could go play some ice hockey and feel better. It stinks to feel that comfort I was missing has been basically out of my life with the nearest hockey rink being 60 miles away. There are other comforts I have too. One is simply God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4...
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."

Food and sports are ways I can self comfort, but God offer the ultimate comfort. In the past couple of week I have been to three funerals/visitations, I have seen multiple people struggle with health issues and other issues. What do we take comfort in when what we normally take comfort in isn't there? Jesus has comforted me in some of the lowest points of my life. When I felt like there was no connection and nobody was there for me. There was a comfort when I was a kid and felt there was no hope. Jesus was there through the roughest times of my life.

That same comfort for me is offered for you. Not only does Jesus comfort us through the worst things, but we can be an agent of comfort. We can be there for someone else going through a rough time in life. This is what Paul is taking about in the verses above. We received comfort and can share that comfort with other people too.

The bad situation you made it through allows you to be able to comfort those going through similar situations. You can comfort. You can help someone going through a bad time in their life. If you are going through a bad situation remember God is there with you even when you don't think so. If you have been through a bad situation you can help someone else out going through that situation.

Have a great day.

On a mission from God

Finding a purpose in life is difficult. You can hear stats saying over 80-90 percent of people

are in a job they don’t like. How did this happen? Why do people settle for a job they don’t want? If people spend 40-50 hours at a job they don’t like, why keep doing it? What’s the purpose? Life happens.

Life is full of mystery and a job isn’t just a job after a while. I don’t know of any kids that grow up and say I want to be in middle management or an accountant (Not that this is a bad job). Before we know it our life can be overtook. Whether it’s responsibility providing for a family, paying off student loans or a lack of direction. I think this is one of the problems I had with The Office, why would anyone watch a show about a paper company? It was tough to watch at first.  Finding a job with a purpose isn’t easy.

Since I realized I wasn’t very good at sports, I thought the next greatest thing was writing about sports. From 12-21, I did everything I could to be a sports writer. I remember writing a story, putting a ton of effort into it and it was in the paper the next day. I felt good about the story. That weekend I was hanging out with some cousins and one asked so you write anything I would have read lately? I told about the story that appeared a couple of days ago. He responded, “Oh, I read that, I didn’t realize you wrote it.” It’s funny now but disappointing at the time. I struggled with my purpose for a long time. What was my purpose? It was during this time I heard a sermon on priorities when God surprised me and called me into ministry. Purpose found. God has a purpose for all of us.

1 Corinthians 14:3…

“But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.^”

Another way this was put…

“But when you proclaim his truth in everyday speech, you’re letting others in on the truth so that they can grow and be strong and experience his presence with you.”

God’s word is beautiful. Sharing his word is a work of art. While talking about speaking in tongues in scripture he stops and says there is a greater purpose. When we use prophecy or as The Message puts it proclaiming his truth it is so much better because everyone can understand it. This proclamation includes giving people strength, encouragement and comfort. This is what God can do.

With God we can have a greater purpose. God can use us to strengthen, encourage and comfort other people. The word paramythian means consolation, it is the word used for comfort in this scripture. This is the only time the word is used in the New Testament. Whatever you do with your life, whether job, school, family or hobbies, God can use you to strengthen, encourage and comfort other people in your life. Who can you strengthen, encourage and comfort in your life today?

Have a great day.

If it rains cats and dogs would you get a rabies shot

When it rains it pours.  Sometimes in life we feel we can’t get ahead,  we weathered a storm only to find out were in the eye of the hurricane. Life can get hard, and still get worse after that.

There were some athletes I followed who went through some nasty injuries.  One of which tore his ACL his freshman year in high school.  He fully recovered by the next football season and we ready to go. A week into the season, he tore his other ACL, he was down.  He fully recovered from it and was ready for the next season.  In order to play football, he wore two super knee braces.  While playing running back, he ran through the gap, his knee braces hit each other causing him to fall.  He was tackled without being tackled. He decided to stop playing football after that.

Sometimes in life, we weather a storm and things can get worse as in Paul’s case.  Paul got everyone saved from the storm. Next they were shipwrecked on an island (People from the island came to help them out) he was out helping them collect brushwood for a fire when a venomous snake bit him.  The native islanders thought this dude had ticked off God.  This is the next part of the story in some of Acts 28:4-6…

“The man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live. But Paul shook the snake off in the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.”

They thought Paul was bad and that is why he deserved to be punished twice.

They stayed away from this man, but it was not was it seemed.  Going off the Princess Bride, “I do not think that situation  means what you think it means.” Paul survived the situation, but how many times do you feel like that?

You make it through a bad situation only to get hit with another one.  A couple of weeks ago I came to an intersection where there was an accident, the lady had kids in her vehicle and was pretty angry/frustrated.  The kids were fine, but she was almost in tears saying, “My dad is going to kill me.” It ends up she just bought this vehicle and on the way home was in a crash with a couple of thousands in damages even though everything was ok.

Bad things can happen in life, but will you let those bad things consume you? Paul survived a nasty shipwreck and then he got bit by a venomous snake (I don’t recommend testing God on this one). He didn’t start saying “Why me God, why me?” He wasn’t depressed from this reason or think things were going to get worse. 

Have faith that life will improve and can improve.  Paul was able to make through some awful situations because of his faith in God and you can too.  Even through the worst of times God can offers us comfort.  Don’t give up on life because it won’t give up on you.  Things can and will get better.

Have a great day.