Sitting in my kitchen, watching my boys tubing down the small slope in our backyard, I was warm. They were not.
Even in the snow, they had fun: sliding, crashing into the bushes, and climbing back up to the patio to start all over again. The cold didn’t bother them.
Especially when they knew that just beyond the patio door, Mom had a fresh pair of dry gloves and a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows ready and waiting for them.
Not so when I was a kid. We had to drive to a sledding hill for our kicks. Then, when we got cold, we had to wait for Dad to unlock the car so we could get in out of the wind. And no hot chocolate until we got back home.
But, like my boys, it didn’t bother me, because I knew there would be warmth when I was done with the cold. It may not come right away, but it would come in time.
God is like that with us – He has something warm to wrap us in, something to heat us up inside when we’re freezing. But He also has his own schedule. Maybe his help will come immediately, like when my son would climb to the patio and drop his inner tube. He knew that Mom was right inside the door, waiting with what he needed.
Even when God’s timetable takes a little longer, like having to wait for a ride home from snow fun, we know that He’ll provide what we need when we need it.
It’s winter now, and sometimes the weather – and life – can seem a little cold. Just remember that God is always nearby, ready and waiting to give us what we need. All we have to do is ask.
Marshmallows, anyone?
