Comforted

A hand full of briars is very uncomfortable. A stone made smooth in a mountain stream is pleasant in my hand, though. If the stone is in my shoe, it can hurt worse than the briars in my hand. A grain of sand in an oyster can become a pearl. A grain of sand in my eye can blind me. Walk in the Spirit.

How I spend my time, how I answer annoying people, how I value what the Spirit of God sees as opportunity in my life, the alignment I have with His purposes – these are sources of comfort or they are briars or misplaced stones if I don’t let Him lead my responses to them. If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with each other, and His blood cleanses us from sin and mismanagement of our lives.

If we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit.
You reveal the path of life to me;
in Your presence is abundant joy;
in Your right hand are eternal pleasures.
(Galatians 5:25, Psalm 16:11 Holman Christian Standard Bible ©®)