Before you folks up north laugh, get the whole picture. It is going to be in the teens tonight with snow and ice. Two days prior to this, it was in the 60's and 70's. Two days after this, it is going to be back in the 60's and 70's. This is the land where temperatures reach over 100 and the humidity stays at about 100 percent more than we care to admit. It is where one day your hair is redone by wind gust of 20 mph and the next by the humidity. Mosquitoes and cockroaches (yes everyone has them here!) are big enough to stuff. So coldness is not one of our everyday adventures. It is cold.
Experiencing the bitter cold can come in so many other ways. Consider this.
The bitter coldness of being unwelcome. Going into a church where the gracious God proclaims a welcome to all who would come only to find that no one spoke to you. Or maybe someone spoke but it was obvious that it was a cordial welcome. No one would point you in the right direction. Where is the nursery? Where is the coffee? Where are the Sunday School classes? Do I sit/stand/kneel? Which book or hymnal do I use? Am I sitting in some one's special seat? As this person leaves, they are certain that they will never come back. Stone cold museums where the warmth of God is not present. Something else is present but it is not warm and not God!
The bitter coldness of indifference. Does anyone really care? Do I really want to let anyone know my struggle. It would only embarrass me and invite ridicule. There are hungry people out there! There are lonely people here! There are parents who are struggling with making it through the day. There are kids being bullying. So what. What difference can I make? It must be them because I am making it and I have it just as tough as anyone else. Indifference is a cold heart that has hardened itself away from the sufferings of others.
Or what about the coldness of gossip and those who speak ill of others. The words are spread without regard for harm. There is no gentleness nor regard for the harm done. The words are a bullet that is fired without regard. It is a vicious as can be. The sniper (yes they usually hide) delivers the blow and then slithers back into the darkness. They are convinced their motives are pure but rarely are. They are demons that destroy the body of Christ and the sons and daughters of Christ.
It is cold. Oh so cold. Or does it have to be cold everywhere?
But we as Christians can choose to be warm-hearted and compassionate We can practice hospitality, concern, and love. We can challenge the experience of winter with the new life of Spring and even the warmth of summer. Our words, actions, and intentional acts can change the world around us and within us. Once you come to know the compassion of Jesus in your life, winter only comes through the seasons of life. We learn to share the warmth of the faith during the season of winter. There is a place of warmth to run to when the outside is freezing.
There is a place and a community that warms the world--inside and out.
Pray for me as I pray for you.
In the Master's Name,
Dr. Jack O'Dell
www.stlukesimpson.org
www.midweekmanna.com
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