The Nearness of Jesus

Good morning, friends.

Our family woke up feeling refreshed and hopeful after a sweet Easter at home. Our Easter Sunday was unconventional. We watched church in our pajamas while eating breakfast. We spent the day in front of the fire, because it was cold and snowy here in Colorado. There were just five of us around our table for dinner, instead of all the family and friends we’d planned on having in our home. And still the day was a gift of celebrating the miraculous. Jesus still met us in our worship, and we found ourselves blessedly reminded of the hope we have beyond anything happening here in this world. 

In the early hours of Sunday, our power went out, cloaking our house in darkness. (Brett and I both later admitted our biggest worry at the moment had been how we would grind the coffee beans in the morning. And we BOTH envisioned Brett using the mortar and pestle. Ha! Thankfully, power was restored before we were out of bed.) Elin made her way down to our room to ask that we turn a light on in the hallway outside her room. The wind was howling, the house was dark, and the night did feel more foreboding than usual. She’s 5, and is going through a scared-of-the-dark phase. In lieu of her typical night-light comforts, she ended up snuggled next to me for the last few hours of the night. Within moments, her breathing turned to the rhythmic sounds of sleep.

The wind still howled. It was keeping me awake. The house was still shrouded in darkness. The only thing that had changed for Elin was her nearness to her mom and dad. And this nearness instantly brought her comfort and rest. I was reminded of the comfort we draw from nearness to Jesus. His availability to us is not circumstantial, thank goodness. In the midst of storms, in the midst of darkness, he remains present. 

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. 

We are offered ETERNAL COMFORT from Jesus Christ himself! This is giving me a fresh outlook for this week. We are living in a time of strange and stormy circumstances. But if we draw near to Jesus, he will establish our hearts in every good work and word. My prayer for us as we begin another week in a seemingly endless string of corona-weeks, is for us to experience the comfort and good hope found in nearness to Jesus. 

Warmly,
Kate