Comfort Blanket Helps Lead Loyola University to the Sweet Sixteen
Since I posted a few days ago about THE COMFORTER, I’ve had two more occasions to reinforce what I was saying. This was USA Today’s headline on March 15th: “NCAA tournament 2018: Loyola-Chicago gets inspiration from 98-year-old nun”. Loyola was able to pull off the first upset of March Madness in dramatic fashion. The 98-year-old longtime nun and chaplain of Loyola University’s men’s basketball team sat at the corner of the basketball court as the jubilant players for Loyola-Chicago celebrated their 64-62 victory, upsetting Miami to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. If she wasn’t restricted to a wheelchair, Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt surely would have joined the fun. Sister Jean, the longtime team chaplain, could barely contain her own glee inside the American Airlines Center. “Thank God, thank God we did it,’’ she said at the end of the televised broadcast. “We just knew we would do this. Our team is so great and they don’t care who makes the points as long as we win the game.”
The team’s coach was quick to credit her: “Sister Jean is our team chaplain and she’s our COMFORT BLANKET. She just has so much spirit. She’s got an unbelievable energy level to her that I connect with.” The coach added: “You know how much she’s praying for you. You know how much she’s doing for you and she means the world to this university and our team.” I love that “Comfort Blanket” analogy. I’m quite certain Holy Spirit inside that beautiful woman is her “power source”.
Since I posted a few days ago about THE COMFORTER, I’ve had two more occasions to reinforce what I was saying. This was USA Today’s headline on March 15th: “NCAA tournament 2018: Loyola-Chicago gets inspiration from 98-year-old nun”. Loyola was able to pull off the first upset of March Madness in dramatic fashion. The 98-year-old longtime nun and chaplain of Loyola University’s men’s basketball team sat at the corner of the basketball court as the jubilant players for Loyola-Chicago celebrated their 64-62 victory, upsetting Miami to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. If she wasn’t restricted to a wheelchair, Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt surely would have joined the fun. Sister Jean, the longtime team chaplain, could barely contain her own glee inside the American Airlines Center. “Thank God, thank God we did it,’’ she said at the end of the televised broadcast. “We just knew we would do this. Our team is so great and they don’t care who makes the points as long as we win the game.”
The team’s coach was quick to credit her: “Sister Jean is our team chaplain and she’s our COMFORT BLANKET. She just has so much spirit. She’s got an unbelievable energy level to her that I connect with.” The coach added: “You know how much she’s praying for you. You know how much she’s doing for you and she means the world to this university and our team.” I love that “Comfort Blanket” analogy. I’m quite certain Holy Spirit inside that beautiful woman is her “power source”.
When I read that headline and article, I remembered the question someone asked me, “I’m confused about the Holy Spirit. I hear people talking about it and it scares me.” I explained “Actually Holy Spirit isn’t an “it”. Holy Spirit is a person — the 3rd person of the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit was given to live inside of the life of a believer in Jesus Christ in order to produce God’s character in the life of a believer in a way that we cannot do on our own. The Holy Spirit will build into our lives love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Rather than TRYING to be loving, patient, kind, God asks us to rely on Him to produce those qualities in our lives. We are told as Christians to walk in the Spirit and be filled with the Spirit. I loved hearing about Loyola’s COMFORT BLANKET. That precious nun is no doubt filled to overflowing with God’s Spirit which enables her to be that comfort blanket to others.
I saw another beautiful analogy of the Holy Spirit when I heard a young mom and a professional in the business world, give a beautiful but very emotional talk. As tears rolled down her face, I saw a lovely older woman go behind her and wrap her arms around her waist. The speaker calmed down, relaxed and carried on eloquently. That sweet older woman became her COMFORT BLANKET. That analogy spoke to me of how Holy Spirit is our COMFORT BLANKET. John 14:16-18 (Amplified Bible) says it so beautifully: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor, Strengthener), to be with you forever — the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, bereaved, and helpless]; I will come to you.”
Maybe you need a COMFORT BLANKET sitting in your corner, cheering you on in the games of life that you’re playing in. As a believer in Jesus Christ, professing Him as your Lord and Savior, He is in your corner in the person of the Holy Spirit Who lives in you and is there to be your Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor and Strengthener. Acknowledge His presence and experience His warm and cozy Blanket of Comfort.