Comfort and Joy

I woke up this morning with the phrase "Comfort and Joy" in my head. Hmmm...what exactly did they mean by "tidings of comfort and joy" anyway? So I got to thinking about what "comfort and joy" means to me and how I can evoke these feelings during this blessed Christmas season. com·fort
1 : to give strength and hope to : cheer
2 : to ease the grief or trouble of : console

joy:
1 a: the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : delight b: the expression or exhibition of such emotion : gaiety
2: a state of happiness or felicity : bliss
3: a source or cause of delight

Well I guess when you break it down...it's seems easy enough to attain the pursuit of "comfort and joy"... when you apply the definitions to your life.

Most people associate the word "comfort" with food or a feeling of well-being as in enjoying the comfort of your favorite sweat pants or your favorite chair. In all honesty though, during Christmas the word "comfort" is more of an action than a feeling. It's about giving strength and hope to others around us who are hurting. Spreading Christmas cheer in a world darkened by gloom and doom. Recognizing the fact that the gifts we've been given are not purchased with dollars but by a birth of a Savior who has given us the gift of salvation: a gift purchased with His very life.

The word "joy" is derived from the word "rejoice". In the Bible we are told to "rejoice in the Lord always" (Phil 4:4) which is more of an action than a feeling. The very idea of "Joy" being "the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires" seems to reduce the action to a self-absorbed feeling we can experience if we get what we want. The fault of this way of thinking is that most people still never experience real joy that comes from God (abiding joy) even when they attain "success, good fortune", or getting what they think are "their desires". They experience a temporal joy. The Bible tells us to "delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart". (Psalm 37:4) If we align our thinking with HIS, we will find our desires are not monetary, but of things eternal.

So perhaps God put this little phrase in my head this morning so I would go on my little quest to discover a way to evoke these feelings throughout the Christmas season, only to discover that in order to experience "Comfort and Joy" I must first take action by giving comfort and solace to others and to act upon Paul's exhortations telling us to "Rejoice in the Lord always". We can't allow the dark realities of life blind us to the radiance of joy found in the Lord. We first have to trust that He will be faithful if we trust Him with all the details.

Trust is an action. Faith is an action. Comfort is an action. Joy is derived from the action of Rejoicing. Wow. That's some pretty powerful stuff coming from a mother who tells her kids they are accountable for their actions. I guess I better take some action if I'm going to drink from the cup of Comfort and Joy.
In the meantime, I think I'll go crank up some Christmas Cheer and sing my heart out while I bake up some yummies.

Almond Joy to the World
Makes 2 dozen candies
4 cups shredded coconut
1/2 cup light corn syrup
Whole roasted almonds
1 (12-ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Line cookie sheet with wax paper. Place coconut in large bowl; set aside.
In a glass measuring cup, microwave corn syrup until boiling, about 45 seconds. Pour hot syrup over coconut and knead with a wooden spoon until coconut is saturated.
Shape into bite-size rectangles, place an almond on top and refrigerate for 15 minutes. (You can refine shape of candies after they have been in the refrigerator.)
Meanwhile, melt chocolate and shortening in a double boiler or microwave until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Use a fork to dip each candy into chocolate, then refrigerate on wax-paper-lined cookie sheet until chocolate is hardened. Store in an airtight container.