Tidings of Comfort and Joy

 

I was on a run the other day and saw a house with the words “Comfort and Joy” out in the yard as Christmas decorations.  Of course, then I had the song “God rest ye merry gentlemen” stuck in my head for the next 3 miles (incidentally I realized I don’t really know many of the words to that song).  But it got me thinking about “tidings of comfort and joy”, specifically in light of this year.  

My first thought was that 2020 hasn’t been especially comfortable or joyful.  I don’t know about you, but I feel like this year really stretched me and there were times when I didn’t feel particularly joyful.  When I dig a little bit deeper into that line of thinking I realize that this isn’t just specific to 2020…the reality is that over the years whenever I try to find comfort or joy in anything other than Jesus I have felt empty.  

I know this to be true, but I have to constantly preach that truth to my heart.  It’s so easy to look to relationships, or our jobs, or our achievements as the things that bring us comfort and joy but the problem with that is that all those things can change and where does that leave us?  When I’ve chased after those things for my joy I’m left feeling empty, hopeless, and alone.  But that’s not the way it was meant to be.  

If you know Jesus as your Savior and Lord then you can find comfort and joy in Him regardless of your circumstances.  That doesn’t mean that there won’t be struggles, it means that those hard times won’t destroy you because your foundation is in Christ.  So as you approach Christmas, rest in the good news found in the birth of Jesus who came to save you and who pursues you with a steadfast love that was never dependent on anything you did to earn it.  When we reflect on that, how can our response not be one of joy and finding comfort in Him alone?    

~Jillian