285 – Burr It’s Cold Out There

#faithbites #faithjourney Cold

On Monday in Central Illinois, it was in the 80s. On Friday, the high was 44. This morning when I got up and went to work in was in the low 30s and it was COLD. I pulled out my winter coat, my ice scraper, and scrapped frost of my car. It was freezing.I was saddened and not ready for the cold. Why? I hate the fall. I know, I’m weird. To me the fall and then winter is the signaling of death and dying. I’m a Spring and Summer kind of guy.

The funny thing is, that I do like some things in fall. My wife’s birthday, pumpkin pie, our anniversary, and Halloween. Why I don’t like fall, who knows. This got me to think about life in general. In everything we don’t like, there is always something good. I don’t like cold, but like snow. I don’t like winter but love the holidays. Sometimes I hate the humidity in summer but love the beach, water, and sun. I guess for everything there is a season. (Queue the music….scripture)

Scripture

• For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing – Ecclesiastes 3:1-22
• While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” – Genesis 8:22
• Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.- Hebrews 13:8

Reflection

There are good times and bad. Times to reap and times to sow. Times for everything under heaven. From the beginning of the Bible God is there and like it says in Hebrews: Jesus never changes. We have our ups and down, he is constant. Our faith rises and falls, he is constant. We are righteous and sin, he is constant. It helps me to know that no matter what the weather is, no matter how cold my heart may feel, he is constant.

The past two weeks have been rough for me. Anxiety, health, knee, and maybe the changing of seasons. I have felt like my heart is cold and not open. I know though, that Jesus is there. He is constant.

What is your favorite season? Is it one of the four on the calendar or maybe the season of love and forgiving? What about the season of joy and serving? There are times for all of these seasons and more.

Charge

How does the weather affect you? Are you depressed in the winter and happy in the summer? Maybe the winter gets you going and the summer depresses you. Have you ever thought about the seasons of your life? Make a note to yourself that Jesus is constant. He is here to help you in all the seasons of your life no matter how hot or how cold.

Lord, help my heart to be warm even as the weather cools. Allow your Spirit to fill me and spread your love even when I am feeling cold.