Grateful for Warmth

Compared to the rest of the nation, Charlotte is not bad at all, despite unusually cold temperatures for our area. Just in case, embarking on my walk yesterday, I put on my megapuff coat that is able to withstand temperatures up to -30. That would not have been good enough had I been walking in Chicago this week, but it was quite adequate for Charlotte. Honeybun was given the go-ahead to walk all the way around the block as of yesterday. The vet wanted her to rest until now after her collapse 2 weeks ago. She was so perky and excited. She pranced around the block. Meanwhile, I was nice and toasty in my megapuff coat.

But the wind picked up during the day and the chill got chillier. So Honeybun and I holed up in the warm house. I worked on my manuscript and Honeybun snored. I checked Facebook periodically, sad to see one friend's pipes had frozen and burst in the cold. I have a sister in Chicago where the wind chill is fifty below zero and residents are advised to stay inside.

What if they lose power? How long can anyone survive in fifty below zero? My goodness, we are lucky that we have been destroying our planet with global warming! Can you imagine how cold it would be without that!?

Interestingly, in my daily Bible reading I was working my way through Psalms, and came across a line in Psalm 19 about the sun and how nothing is hidden from its heat. I laughed when I read it, thinking about my sister in Chicago who probably was certain she was hidden from the sun's heat. In fact, most of our country is hidden from the sun's heat this week.

But then I began pondering the spiritual message. While those in the midst of this arctic chill may feel the sun has deserted them, in actuality, it has not. If the sun were to suddenly explode, earth would be plunged (over time) into temperatures of -400 degrees. Now that's cold. Even my megappuff coat couldn't protect me from that. We may feel we are hidden temporarily from the sun's heat, but it is not forever, and we are not as hidden as we think we are.

There are many times when I feel that God has deserted me, that I feel I am hidden from his "heat." Life seems impossible. Pipes freeze and burst, ice covers the windows and I cannot see anything but frigid hopelessness. Sometimes for a season, cold is allowed to enter in. But, it is not forever,  and it is not as cold as it would be if the Source of warmth were truly to desert us. Think how grateful for warmth we are when we have been terribly cold. Sometimes it takes bitter cold for us to truly appreciate warmth.

Then I read a post on Facebook from another friend, collecting blankets and coats that evening to bring to our "homeless neighbors" on this frigid night. I realized sometimes we are God's heat and decided I could probably find coats we no longer need.

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Psalm 19: 4-6
4 Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them,
and there is nothing hidden from its heat.