The Comforter

As Amayah lay across the bed, sobbing, a tattered pink blanket was shoved up close to her. "Sissy, you can have my blanket." A tiny hand patted Amayah's head, and she turned and looked into the troubled eyes of her little sister, Peyton. "My blanket will make you feel all better," Peyton said.Amayah felt the bed sag as her mom sat down beside her. "Missing Linden?" Mom asked softly.Amayah nodded. "She was my best friend. I think about her all the time," she said, wiping her eyes. "Will I ever stop hurting? It's been three months since she died."Mom handed her a tissue. "It's always hard to lose someone we love, especially someone as young as Linden."Amayah took the tissue and blew her nose. Then she handed the blanket to Peyton. "You can have your blanket now, Peyton. Thanks."With a contented sigh, Peyton hugged her blanket, and Mom pulled the little girl onto her lap. "That's your comforter, isn't it, honey?""No," said Peyton, looking puzzled. "It's my blanket."Amayah smiled and lifted the edge of the comforter that was spread across her bed. "See this, Peyton? This is called a comforter."Mom nodded thoughtfully. "You know, Amayah, since we trust in Jesus, God has given us His Holy Spirit to live within us and be our Comforter. He wants to comfort you."Amayah sat up. "I know, Mom. When I prayed this morning, God seemed to tell me to remember the good times I had with Linden. I did, and I thought of the time when we both decided to give our lives to Jesus at camp. I remembered that she's with Him now and that I'll see her again one day, and I felt better for a while. I was still sad, but God did comfort me." Peyton smiled at her sister, then jumped down and left the room, still clinging to her blanket. "Someday, Peyton won't need her security blanket anymore," Mom said. "But no matter how old we are, we'll always need our Comforter, God's Holy Spirit. He reminds us of God's promises and care, and He's always with us."Amayah nodded and got up. "I'm doing better now," she said. "God is comforting me." –Barbara J. Westberg