Hot Cocoa. That’s the proper term, but growing up we just called it Hot Chocolate. Probably because we had the store-bought version. But whatever you call it, there’s something comforting about it. Think about a cold evening, maybe the snow is falling (in Alberta this happened a lot), and there’s something about holding a warm mug that makes you want to pause. To slow down.
Maybe it reminds us of being a kid, or Christmas. Maybe it’s just nostalgia. Whatever the reason, comfort is something we all look for. When life gets difficult, when we’re tired, stressed, or just having a rough day, we naturally look for something that makes us feel… okay.
Which makes me ask, where do we actually go for true comfort?
Maybe you order your favourite meal, watch a familiar show, go for a walk, or call a friend. None of these things are bad. But sometimes comfort can become a way of avoiding what we’re feeling. One of the greatest ways we experience comfort is through other people.
When something terrible happens, we want to call somebody. And most of the time, we don’t even want advice. We just want someone to say, “Yeah, that really sucks.” Having people who can share our burdens without trying to take them away is a gift from God. Brené Brown says,
“We don’t have to do it alone. We were never meant to.”
She’s not even talking about how we were divinely created, and yet she gets it. God created us for relationships. Sometimes His comfort comes through the person sitting right beside us. But even with the wonderful people in our lives, we can still feel alone.
And that’s where God’s presence becomes so meaningful. His comfort isn’t limited to the people around us. Sometimes He comforts us through others, and sometimes in ways that are much more personal. Psalm 46 says,
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
I really like that term, “ever-present.” Not occasionally present. Not selectively present. Not conditionally present. Ever-present. Something I admit I don’t fully understand, but it’s so beautiful.
God isn’t just interested in the big spiritual moments. He’s there through it all. When we’re celebrating, grieving, struggling. All of it. God doesn’t promise we’ll never need comfort. He promises that when we do, He is there. In Matthew, Jesus says,
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Who is He talking to? The weary and burdened. That’s all of us. And there are no conditions to it. Receiving God’s comfort doesn’t have to be complicated. Maybe our prayer is simply, “Jesus, I’m tired.” Or “I’m scared.” Or “I don’t know what to do.” That’s why I like this hot cocoa metaphor. Comfort doesn’t always arrive in some huge, dramatic moment. Sometimes it’s incredibly ordinary.
Sometimes it’s just sitting quietly with a warm mug in your hands. And maybe those moments are opportunities to pause and recognize the warmth, safety, and love we experience for what they are.
A gift from God.