Thoughtful Thursday:

There’s a Cold Wind A’Blowin’

Since snow is in the forecast,  my thoughts are taken back to winter time in my childhood.

When I was a little girl, we didn’t have central heat and air at our house.  We had a fireplace in the living room, a wood cookstove in the kitchen, and a Warm Morning stove in one of the bedrooms. Our winters could be bitter cold. Snow would blanket the ground, sometimes, for weeks at a time. There were times when school would not be dismissed, even though snow was on the ground. My mommy or daddy would yell at us to get out of bed, to get ready for school. This was something like, “GET OUT OF THAT BED AND GET READY FOR SCHOOL!” Of course, we usually didn’t respond on the first call, so a little while later, they would yell with more intensity. “GET.OUT.OF.THAT.BED…NOW!” If that didn’t put the fear of God into us, the next source of encouragement would be very determined footsteps, followed with the covers being thrown back, placed over the foot of the bed, and in a few minutes, we were cold enough, so that we wanted to get out of bed and go near one of the sources of heat that my daddy had so faithfully provided. 

I can’t remember one time that my daddy ever failed to have the fires built when we got up each morning.  We could count on it. There were times that, if we were away from the stove or the fireplace, it would be so cold in the house, that we could see our breath. So, we made sure to get close to the fire to warm ourselves. Our daddy never failed to have the fire ready for us, because he wanted to provide for us. He was a good daddy. For that I am thankful.

Our Heavenly Father also provides for us. He doesn’t want us to be out in the cold, and away from Him. He is our source of all things good…the warmth that we need. But, just as when we were children, and we had to get out of bed, and go near the fire, we need to draw near to God now, and He will warm us. Sometimes, this old world can seem pretty cold. The winds of despair often blow our way, and we just pull our coat around us, trying to make it on our own. All the while, Jesus is gently calling. We just have to take that first step. We have to get out of whatever bed that we have made for ourselves, and turn to the One who is waiting for us to bask in His warmth. 

I am reminded of the Bible verse in James 4:8…”Draw nigh unto God, and He will draw nigh to you…”

Also, Matthew 11:28 tells us, “Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

What are we waiting for? Are we cold enough yet? The fires are built. Come warm yourself in God’s love. Please don’t freeze to death.

Have a great day! Stay warm.