Rediscovering Comfort

Adam Sandler once sang a fantastic song about his, “Red Hooded Sweatshirt”, you can check out the video. This song has always had a great spot in my heart because it is a song about the comfort of faithful familiarity. What is more comforting than a sweatshirt that has been with you for years? It fits you, smells like you, bears the stains of meals gone by and has a level of softness that you can’t just buy, you have to earn. Life is beautiful that way. There can be things, small things that become so familiar to us that they provide not only comfort but stability and joy.

That certainly goes beyond just sweatshirts, it also includes the people of our lives who are with us for so long that there is no replacing or recreating the experiences and life events you have shared. There comes a familiarity and comfort that enables you to just be yourself with them. They make you more authentic. When we are wearing our favorite clothes and just relaxing, I think that is when we are often our most authentic. We aren’t trying to be someone, or fulfill some role at work or with other people. We are just ourselves.

Do you feel that way about your relationship with God? Do you have that kind of comfort? Are you your most authentic when you are alone with God? Do you feel like you have to put on fancy clothes to talk to God? Do you feel like you need to change the way you talk? Do you change who you are to go and be with God? When I read the scriptures I am continually struck by the authenticity I find people writing with. You read the Psalms, like Psalm 22 and you find David struggling with his sin, struggling with the brokenness of the world and feeling abandoned. He seems most comforted by sharing these realities with God. You also have Paul, who seems to have been a bit of an in your face and confrontational guy, but he was real. You knew what you were getting with Paul.

I don’t know how real I am with people. I am a pastor, so I know the role I am often expected to play, but I don’t know if enough people get to know me. I don’t know if they get to see the sweatshirt, sitting around and sharing my real thoughts on the world me. I hope they do. I hope that is the same person I am with God too. It is ridiculous isn’t it? I know God knows me better than I do myself, but I still try to act holier when I am talking to God. I decided that my life needs more comfort. Comfort takes time. It takes hard work. It takes the endurance of joys and pains together. It takes the courage to be yourself. So next year, in my friendships, with my wife, with my church, and mostly with God, I am going to work on being comfortable with me and sharing myself more. I even started today, I went out and bought a new hooded sweatshirt.