The Comfort of Routine

The past years of heartaches, challenges, a cross-country move, and new demanding job had taken its toll on this once happily married woman, with children. The children were really "displaced teenagers" who had never lived any other place than the Sunshine State. Several years ago, the widow's family formed a caravan of a large Budget moving truck, another 15 foot truck, and a fully packed F150 Ford truck.


Moving to the cornfields of Indiana would require major adjustments on everyone. Some members of the family would survive the move, better than others. The inside contents of the Ford Truck contained 5 short-haired cats with a Border Collie –Lab mix and Cocker Spaniel in various travel containers and kennels in the back of the truck. Only two cats remained after 3 months in Indiana. This may have been an indicator on how life would drastically change in our family. It did.

Psalm 119:76 May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant. (NIV)

I found the leisurely Saturday morning routine comforting in filling the washer with a week’s worth of towels, loading and unloading the dishwasher, in between sips of hot coffee, ladled with more cream, than coffee. Simple routines were comforting for this mid-forties widow. No additional thought is required to do chores. They are a “to do” that I can actually get done until it needs to be done again. It is easy to see the fruit of your labors in completing these tasks.

It is really easy for a widow to become overwhelmed with concern over her children, financial stress, working full-time and part-time jobs, and trying to maintain a home or lifestyle that just will not work anymore. The only true and lasting comfort this widow has found comes from the Lord’s presence and his promise of His unfailing love.