SEARCHING FOR JESUS

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)

While in the basement, I heard click-clacking on the hardwood floors above. It was my dog Krickett, searching for me. She didn't like to be left alone. I could imagine her anxiety when she woke from her nap and did not see me. The sound of her little feet dancing a staccato on the floor made me smile. The anxiety on her face changed when she saw me. She trotted over to me and sniffed my legs to reassure herself of my presence. Then she jumped into her bed and lay down, at peace that I was near.

As a little girl, I was afraid of the dark. I crept from my bed to the bathroom and snapped on the light. Nothing was there in the darkness that wasn't there in the light. It reassured me as long as the light was on. Returning to the bedroom, the darkness enveloping me seemed so heavy and fearsome. Pulling the covers over my head comforted me and calmed my fears. I said a prayer, picturing Jesus beside me. Calmness swept over me. Jesus answered my childish prayer. He was my comfort, just as I was for Krickett.

Nothing is more comforting than Jesus' voice saying, Come to me...I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). I slept in peace.

Dear Father of comfort, thank You for letting us find You in our search for comfort when we are alone in the darkness of life. You console our hearts, knowing that You are here beside us. Amen.

© 2015 E. Bonnie Ryan