A Hug And A Bowl Of Chicken Soup

A HUG AND A BOWL OF CHICKEN SOUP
3 minute read

I was watching The Brady Bunch.

Not the new HGTV series, but the 1969 originals on Hulu.

I was sick and in bed and I was binge watching The Brady Bunch.

It felt good.

One week turned into three. This never ending cough threw me for a loop and in an odd way, I found comfort in that old show. I watched it when I was little. It was the only time my parents allowed us to stay up past our bedtime.

It reminded me of home and of mom and of being taken care of.

I think I was yearning for that comfort because mom is no longer with me.

And because I was feeling sorry for myself.

Slowly I found myself allowing little things to bother me. Things people said, even my own family members, left me feeling hurt or angry. Little pieces of bitterness, sadness and jealousy crept in. I started having self doubts about my role as a pastor’s wife and mother~

and even this blog.

So I began to turn to something seemingly innocent for comfort. The Brady Bunch. I know it’s ridiculous, (you guys probably think I’m nuts haha) but I reasoned that God understood how sick I was and He was ok with me not picking up my bible or talking to Him.

But that’s where I was wrong.

God wasn’t waiting to punish me for not talking to Him, watching too much TV or not reading His words.

I was punishing myself.

I was missing out on the incredible comfort, joy and peace that only He can give.

I miss my mom so much,
sometimes even more when I’m sick~

and while I was feeling sorry for myself, I failed to realize He is the God of ALL comfort. II Corinthians 1:3,4

If I had just talked to Him, He would have whispered to my heart that everything was going to be ok.
That He would take care of me. I Peter 5:7

My heart attitude would have been different toward words that were spoken because His words would have been hidden in my heart. Psalm 119:11

Compared to today’s television The Brady Bunch had some great traditional/family oriented episodes ( I still love it 🤦🏼‍♀️) but~

anything we go to for comfort besides our heavenly Daddy will always come up short.

The more we reach for it, the deeper our hearts and minds will stray from the truth of God’s words and it won’t take long for our thoughts to be messed up big time.

Satan knows how to dig in and completely change your thoughts, patterns, activities and mindset. He knows how to use seemingly innocent activities to make us stray. One day turns into two then three and soon a month has passed.

And all the while we fail to realize we are listening to him and allowing him to drown out every good and perfect word our Savior longs for us to hear. James 1:17

We are punishing ourselves, all the while being deceived into thinking this is what will make us happy and bring us peace and comfort.

What are you turning to for comfort today? When you are down and just want someone to hold you and make you feel better? When you want a hug and a bowl of chicken soup? When you want someone to tell you it’s going to be okay?

We go to so many things for comfort~ social media, TV, food, relationships~
But somehow, nothing changes.
That “complete” comfort is missing.

When I finally heard God whisper to my heart, when I finally turned off the TV and I opened His words, when I finally broke down and told Him all the ways I was hurting~

it was like getting a hug.

Everything changed. Everything.

Don’t miss out on the very best by settling for good.
Good will always come up short because~

“good” is not God.