Cozy
In the book Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World, author Isabel Gillies discusses the concept of “cozy”: What does the word mean to her? What might it mean to others? What does it mean to you?
We lit our first fire of the season this morning; it’s gotten downright chilly here. And I’ve yet to discover anything quite like a fire, hot beverage, warm pajamas, good book, a cat or two, and nowhere to go and nothing that must be done for the next little while. That spells cozy to me.
What spells cozy to you? If we’re at all alike, cozy suggests comfort, safety, warmth, security, shelter, refuge, assurance, certainty, and more to you. It suggest all those things and more to Ms. Gillies as well, and she offers up much food for thought. Her book is a fascinating read.
Does Scripture have anything to say about cozy? I believe it does. How about this? “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6, 7; NIV). What’s that? Don’t be anxious about anything? Present your requests – to the very God of the universe – with thanksgiving? And, it’s implied, you may have the assurance that He hears and answers? The transcending (!) peace of God is available to us? Wow! That sounds like comfort, safety, warmth, security, shelter, refuge, assurance, certainty, and more to me. With that kind of confidence in Who’s got hold of us, we can relax back into His arms with a great sigh of relief and a great deal of appreciation and gratitude. That’s cozy.
David, before he became the sitting king of Israel, wrote much of the Psalms on the run; it’s full of his claims of God’s faithfulness to him, God’s interest in and availability to him, the many deliverances from harm God empowered, and so. Here’s just one: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior – . . .” (Psalm 22:2, 3; NIV). That same God is available to us. That same strong arm holds and helps us. Those same ears hear our pleas and respond. That’s amazing and certainly should put us at our ease; should enable us to take a long, deep breath, relax, and let go/let Him. He’s got a good, firm, loving grip on us.
That’s ultimate cozy, my friends.
6 Comments
Trudie
Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.” Augustine hippo….♥️♥️♥️
ckarlstrom
Love that quote – thank you!!
HiJennifer
Thanks so much Carolyn for writing this. I have sure needed this lately. We have been completely bombarded, and my only hope and rest is in Jesus himself. My husband was injured over 10 weeks ago and he can still not do full weight bearing, driving, or regular tasks. He is still using a four-wheeled walker and crutch. we recently found out that our septic and drain field has to be repaired to the tune of 8,000 to $20,000. 😳 Our truck brake lines went recently, and the pastor and another church member spent 3 days working on our truck. Long story short, they gave me a laundry list of serious issues with the truck and told me we need to replace it NOW. It’s a 3/4 ton truck with a boss b
V-plow. Our greenhouse still doesn’t even have a roof on it, and our current plow needs to be fixed. We have had snow for 3 weeks now. The worst part is because neither of us are working (there are no jobs, we can’t claim unemployment, and I’m caregiving for my husband to get him to all the appointments) we can’t finance any of these repairs. My husband just pulled out his retirement, and we can do the truck or the septic. We know God has a plan, and we just have to rest in Him and trust that all things work together for good. If anything it has made us long for heaven more! Our wood heat, a cup of warm tea, Your Story Hour, and adult coloring were a welcome treat this evening before our worship. He is able to do what we cannot do. We can rest safely in Him. God does not withhold any good thing.❤️
ckarlstrom
Oh, Jennifer! I can’t tell you how sorry I am about your woes. That’s a slug of misfortune all at once, to put it mildly. I’ll be praying for you and about your situation. Please let me know how the Lord works this out, as we can be sure He will. Much love to you . . .
Sherri Adams
I like your definition of cozy…maybe because mine is similar! A good book or maybe a word game with a friend, a small dog sleeping on my feet, and a glass of milk with an accompanying cookie. Or two.
Thanks for sharing your cozy thoughts with us!
ckarlstrom
Love those word games with a friend!!! ♥️